Dr. David Jacobson, Visiting Research Fellow, Classics Department, KCL, offers the following special lectures to TRS and Classics postgraduates, doctoral students and staff.

Lecture 1. Oct. 8, 16.30 – 18.00:  What Can Coins Tell Us about the “Wars of the Maccabees?”

An overview will be presented of the struggle of the Maccabees and their Hasmonaean successors against the Seleucid kings, illustrated by coins struck by both sides in the conflict. A spotlight will be shone on the personalities involved. With the attainment of Judaean sovereignty, the inevitable process of hellenisation of the Hasmonaeans as they engaged in Mediterranean diplomacy and interacted with the neighbouring powers will be substantiated by numismatic evidence.

Lecture 2. Oct. 15, 16.30 – 18.00: Understanding Herod through His Coins

Herod the Great’s coins will be surveyed, with special reference to their motifs. The evidence obtained will cast light on his ruler ideology but also how he saw himself in relation to his subjects and to his imperial master, Augustus Caesar. A metrological analysis of Herod’s coins will provide some insight into Judaea’s economy and living standards during the first century CE.

Lecture 3. Oct. 22, 16.30 – 18.00: Coins of the first century Roman Governors of Judaea and Their Motifs

The motifs on the coins struck in Judaea for the Roman governors between the dismissal of the Ethnarch, Herod Archelaus, in 6 CE and the eve of the First Jewish Revolt in 66 CE are examined. All are bronzes minted in Jerusalem in a single denomination, generally identified as the prutah, and bear aniconic motifs. The coin types are analysed and their respective origins and meanings identified. An attempt is made to assess the extent to which their motifs support the picture presented in the literary sources of the changing political climate in both in Judaea and Rome over the period in which these coins were minted.

Lecture 4. Nov. 5, 16.30 – 18.00: New Insights on Simon Bar Kokhba from His Coins

Before the sensational discovery of caches of his correspondence in the mid-20th century, Simon Bar Kokhba, or more correctly Shim‘on ben Kosibah, was a rather shadowy historical figure. In 132 CE, he led a fierce uprising against Roman rule in the Land of Israel which lasted up to four years, holding the legions of Hadrian at bay. This remarkable episode resonates in both rabbinical texts and in the Christian patristic literature. Bar Kokhba issued a fine series of silver and bronze coins. These coins are evaluated in this lecture in an attempt to establish the true motivations for this rebellion and its dynamics. 

This event is open to all to attend. 

For any queries please contact Professor Joan E. Taylor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies.