Obverse: Tripod and a Ceremonial Bowl
Reverse: Military Helmet With a Wreath
and Star
Herod the Great ruled Judea from 37-4
B.C. He
was a superb military leader who secured
control
of the region under the graces of Rome.
A
skilled builder, Herod completely
remodeled the
Jerusalem Temple, designed Caesarea and
other
cities, and built palaces at Jerusalem,
Masada,
and other places. Although other rulers
might be
remembered foremost for these building
ruins,
Herod is most often associated with
being King
during the time of Jesus Christ’s birth.
Jewish
and Christian traditions portray Herod
as a
tyrant, primarily for over-taxation and
ordering
the Massacre of the Innocents. However,
it is
unlikely that such an event ever took
place
considering that such an order would
have
required the explicit approval of Rome
and that
Rome would not support an order likely
to incite
rebellion and revolt. This prophetic
myth instead
reflects Herod’s obsessive paranoia and
fear of
conspirators that often afflicts those
in
possession of great power.
How many hands have touched a coin in
your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands
have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our
pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to
think of
who might have touched the coin before
us, or
where the coin will venture to after it
leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a
symbol of
the state that struck them, of a
specific time and
location, whether contemporary
currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire.
This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an
expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate
sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary
machine-
made currencies. This ancient coin is a
memorial
to the great King Herod, King of the
Jews, passed
from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from
generation to generation that still
appears as
vibrant today as the day it was struck.
- (C.2282)
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