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Herod Archelaus was the son of King Herod the
Great and his wife Malthace. Upon Herod’s death
in 4 B.C., his kingdom was divided amongst his
sons Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip with
Archelaus receiving the largest portion to govern
under the title ethnarch, or “national leader.”
However, immediately after his accession, things
went horribly wrong. Just before his death, Herod
the Great sentenced two popular teachers, Judas
and Mathias (as well as their students), to be
burned alive for inciting their pupils to remove
the golden eagle from the entrance to the
Temple. An angry mob greeted the new leader,
Archelaus, demanding justice for these martyrs.
In order to quell this protest, Archelaus had over
three thousand Jews murdered. Once calm was
seemingly restored, Archelaus ventured off to
Rome to have himself crowned by Augustus.
During his absence, a new series of new riots
were initiated by a series of messianic Jewish
leaders, among them Athronges. Herod’s soldiers
were unable to deal with the rebellion and
reinforcements were called in from Roman-
governed Syria. In the end, the rioting ceased
after much more bloodshed. Herod Archelaus
was such a bad leader that the citizens of
Samaria and Judea jointly appealed to Rome to
appoint a new leader. There request was granted
and Archelaus was banished to Gaul, ending
another bloody chapter in the history of ancient
Israel.
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 reminder
of the troubled times during the reign of Herod
Archelaus, 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.7847)
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