The DaVinci Code

Judaea, First Jewish War. AE Prutah, 18mm (2.91 gm). Struck AD 67-68.

Amphora with broad rim and two handles, legend around (year 2) / Vine leaf on small branch, legend around ("the freedom of Zion"). H-661; Meshorer-197.


I know you're asking, what does this coin have to do with The DaVinci Code? Bear with me as I discuss the bronze coins struck in Judaea during this war. The 'messages' these coins impart help paint a picture of the tides of this war. They also provide a convenient segue into my discussion of the relational aspects of The DaVinci Code.

Prutot were not struck in the first year of the First Jewish War... only shekels and their fractions were struck. However, prutot were struck in the second and third years of the Jewish War and 'other' bronze denominations in the fourth. The following is a list of those coins, by Hendin reference number:

Year 2 (AD 67-68)
H-661 AE Prutah

Year 3 (AD 68-69)
H-664 AE Prutah

Year 4 (AD 69-70)
H-668 AE Half (26mm)
H-669 AE Quarter (22mm)
H-670 AE Eight (20 mm)

It is interesting to note that the reverse legend on the prutot of the second and third years issues carried the words, "Freedom of Zion". As David Hendin states in his Guide to Biblical Coins, 4th Edition, "That slogan represents a kind of rallying cry for the Jews." However, that 'slogan' is replaced by "For the redemption of Zion" on the reverse legends of year 4 bronze coins. This signalled an acknowledgement of Rome's impending victory, and as Hendin suggests, a change in tone from that of a 'rallying cry' to one more spiritual.

The First Jewish War began in AD 66 as an uprising... a reaction to mistreatment by the Roman procurator Gessius Florus. Initial Jewish victories shocked the Romans. Nero, fearing that a prolonged rebellion would signal Roman weakness, tapped his top general, Vespasian, to quell the uprising. By the middle of AD 68, Vespasian's forces had stamped out the rebellion in all but Jerusalem, Masada and a few other areas.

The year AD 68 saw the death of Nero and the beginning of a civil war that brought about 4 emperors: Galba (AD 68-69), Otho (AD 69), Vitellius (AD 69) and finally Vespasian (AD 69-79). Vespasian's marching on Rome meant that the Jewish War would have to be handed off to another capable general and Vespasian chose his son Titus to finish the job. The changing fortunes of the Jews are evident by the legends on the bronze coins they issued. Recall that the legends change from a tone of a 'rallying cry' to one more spiritual on the year 4 bronze coins, which were issued in AD 69-70.

The Arch of Titus in Rome commemorates Titus' conquest of the Jews in this First Jewish War. One of the more famous reliefs on the Arch depicts the triumphal procession of Romans carrying the looted treasure from the Second Temple. Included in this treasure were the sacred Menorah, the Table of the Shewbread and the trumpets which called the Jews to Rosh Hashanah.

Now here is where The DaVinci Code comes in...

Many believe that an object more sacred was kept in the Jewish Temple. They hold that this object was hidden when it became clear that Titus' forces would breach the walls of Jerusalem. Theories abound about the nature of this object, with some refering to it as the 'Holy Grail' and others that it was the Ark of the Covenant. Still others contend this ‘object’ was not so much an object as it is a secret that contradicts the very foundation upon which the Church is based.

Theories also abound about where this object was hidden. Some believe that the Jews hid it below the Temple, in what was once believed to be Soloman's stables (the Temple Mount was thought to be the site of the Temple of Soloman). Fast forward 1,000 years to the time following the First Crusade, to the second half of the eleventh century. Crusader Godfroi de Bouillon is believed to have founded an organization called the Priory of Sion. It is believed that this secret order created the Knights Templar as its military arm.

The Knights Templar, or as they were originally called, the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Soloman, were given space for their headquarters on the Temple Mount by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem. Many believe the Templars were sent to Jerusalem with the sole intention of recovering a sacred relic and that this object was found under their headquarters, under what was previously the Second Temple. Was the object the Templars were rumored to have found the 'Holy Grail', perhaps hidden as Titus' army laid seige to Jerusalem? Or did they find the Ark of the Covenant, again hidden while under seige by Titus' army? Or, even more intriguingly, did they find the ‘secret’ that contradicted Church dogma? Nobody knows for sure but this has been the subject of speculation for centuries.

The Knights Templars and Priory of Sion parted ways in 1188. The Templars were eventually dissolved at the hands of France’s king Philip IV and the pope. The Priory of Sion, however, supposedly remains to this day and has been the subject of many books and the book/movie, The DaVinci Code.

If any of this piques your curiosity, I highly recommend the book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, by Michael Biagent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln. In this book, the authors tell of an interview with a prominent figure of the Priory of Sion named Pierre Plantard de Saint-Claire. The authors recant that the interviewee offered to answer any questions about the order’s past history, but would say nothing of their current activities. One such bit of past history offered by Pierre Plantard de Saint-Claire was that the order was still in possession of the lost treasure of the Second Temple… that plundered by Titus’ forces at the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 during the First Jewish War!

So, there you have it… the tie-in between this coin, a prutah from the First Jewish War, and The DaVinci Code.

The Second of 19

Marcus Ambibulus, Roman Prefect under Augustus, AD 9-12.

AE Prutah, 17mm (2.06 gm). Struck AD 9.

Ear of barley curved to right, KAICA-POC ("of Caesar") / Eight-branched palm tree bearing two bunches of dates, L ΛΘ (Year 39) in field below. H-636; AJC II, Supp. V, 3.


You may recall that I expressed a newfound interest in the coins of the Roman prefects and procurators. A friend, Ken Baumheckel, lit this fire that has proven a true area of interest... it has passed the 'passing fad' test with true colors. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, A New Obsession?, there were 14 prefects and procurators, of which only 6 issued coins. Of those 6 who issued coins, a total of 19 different coins were issued (Hendin numbers 635-653). You can refer to my previous blog entry (link above) for a complete list of these prefects and procurators.

This coin was issued under the second such prefect/procurator... Marcus Ambibulus. Marcus Ambibulus served under Augustus from AD 9-12. Little is known about Ambibulus except that he succeeded Coponius in the role of prefect. Only one coin 'type' was issued under both Coponius and Ambibulus, differentiated only by the date indicated on the reverse. In the case of Ambibulus, coins were issued in 3 different years, including:

L ΛΘ (Year 39)
Hendin 636... this coin

LM (Year 40)
Hendin 637

LMA (Year 41)
Hendin 638

The coins of the procurators tend to be a bit crude. Finding nicer examples requires a degree of patience and forgiveness of flaw or defect. In the case of my coin, the reverse suffers from a lack of perfect centering, though the devices and date are all present. Both the obverse and reverse show wear... neither the ear of barley nor the palm tree show all the detail present when the coin was struck. The grains in the ear of barley are worn smooth showing little definition as are the palm fronds, trunk and bunches of dates. Nonetheless, this is one of the nicer examples I've seen. Perhaps it'll only be a placeholder until a nicer example comes along. Perhaps it'll hold a permanent place in my collection. In either case, it represents the second coin in my collection of the Roman prefects and procurators... a prutah of Pontius Pilate being my first.

I must add that the 'thrill of the chase' hasn't waned since I first set out on my quest to complete a type-set of the 19 coins of the Roman prefects and procurators. With age has come patience and with patience, great coins like this one!

A New Obsession?

Apologies for my diversion from the stated format of this blog, which is to display and discuss the coins in my collection… one at a time. Truth be told is that I haven’t had the opportunity to photograph and research the next coin from my collection. So, I figured why not discuss coins that will be a part of my collection, sooner or later!

A friend recently announced that he had completed a collection of the coins of the Roman Prefects and Procurators. This particular friend is noteworthy for assembling interesting type sets and this one definitely caught my attention! Hungry for information about these Roman governors of Judaea and the coins they issued, I asked my friend where best to begin. He recommended David Hendin’s, Guide to Biblical Coins, Fourth Edition.

To be honest, I had previously heard of only one Roman governor, the infamous Pontius Pilate. I never really paid any attention to this area of collecting as it had only peripheral applicability to my area of focus, the Twelve Caesars. However, I’ve found myself drawn more and more to the history of the Bible. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older and nearer to meeting our Maker. Perhaps it was Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ. Perhaps it has been all of the interesting stories my friend tells me about the coins in his collection in this area. Perhaps it’s a combination of all these influences. I don’t know why… but what I do know is that something is compeling me to focus in this direction right now!

So to David Hendin’s wonderful book I turned for knowledge. I learned that 14 individuals served as prefect or procurator of Judaea and that of those 14, only 6 issued coins. Of those 6 who issued coins, a total of 19 different coins were issued (Hendin numbers 635-653). The following 14 individuals served in this post:

Under Augustus
Coponius, AD 6-9
Marcus Ambibulus, AD 9-12
Annius Rufus, AD 12-15 (did not issue any coins)

Under Tiberius
Valerius Gratus, AD 15-26
Pontius Pilate, AD 26-36
Marcellus, AD 36-37 (did not issue any coins)

Under Caligula
Marullus, AD 37-41 (did not issue any coins)

Under Claudius
Cuspius Fadus, AD 44-46 (did not issue any coins)
Tiberius Alexander, AD 46-48 (did not issue any coins)
Ventidius Cumanus, AD 48-54 (did not issue any coins)
Antonius Felix, AD 52-54

Under Nero
Antonius Felix, AD 54-59
Porcius Festus, AD 59-62
Albinus, AD 62-64 (did not issue any coins)
Gessius Florus, AD 64-66 (did not issue any coins)

There was a 3 year period from AD 41-44 where Agrippa I was King of Judaea. The coins of these prefects and procurators are unique in that none of them mention the governors’ names… they mention only the emperors or imperial family members under whose authority they served. Hence, the attribution of these coins to individual prefects and procurators is achieved by the dating of the coins, which is based on imperial regnal years.

An interesting aspect of these governors is that 3 of the 6 who issued coins are mentioned in the Bible. Matthew 27:2 says, “And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.” Acts 24:24 says, “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.” Acts 24:27 says, “But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.”

In reviewing the 19 different coins issued by these governors in Hendin’s book, I see that there is little in the way of aesthetic appeal. The appeal of these coins, their attraction, comes entirely from their connection to Biblical history. I anticipate that this will be a very fulfilling pursuit! My thanks to Ken Baumheckel for lighting this fire.