Bronze sertertius of Titus

Obverse: An aerial view of the Colosseum in Rome

Reverse: Titus, togate, seated to left on curule chair, holding branch in extended right hand, by chair, spears, shields and cuirass; Surrounded by Latin inscription: IMP T CAES VESP AVG TR.P.P.P.COS VIII and inscription in field: SCThis coin depicts one of the most famous monuments of the ancient world, the Colosseum in Rome, which was funded with booty seized from Judea after the suppression of the First Jewish Revolt. In the central arch, on the second tier, one can see a statue of a frontally depicted quadriga (horse-drawn chariot); above it, on the third tier, a palm tree is flanked by the figure of the emperor or a winged Nike on the left and a Jewess or Jew on the right, a scene reminiscent of the Judaea Capta coins.

Credit: Extended loan from a Private Collector, New York