Æ-Sestertius, 71, Rome; 26,18 g.

IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III laureate bust of Vespasian to r.// IVDAEA – CAPTA, S C in exergue; the emperor standing r., having put his r. foot on a helmet, holding a lance in his raised r. hand and a parazonium in his l. Before him a palm tree with two date clusters against whose trunk the personification of the mourning Judaea is leaning. BN 143 no. 497-498; Hendin no. 1504; RIC² no. 167.

Slightly corroded and smoothed, otherwise nearly extremely fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 309.

The parazonium is a long triangular dagger, which was carried by the higher ranks of the Roman army, in mythology by Virtus, the personification of bravery. Due to this iconography the emperor holding the parazonium becomes an embodiment of Virtus.