Palm Trees and Palm Branches in Graeco-Roman Iconography

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Palm Trees and Palm Branches in Graeco-Roman Iconography

Why the Palm Trees on Judaea capta Coins are a Symbol for Judaea

Nussbaum, Johannes

From the journal Historia Historia, Volume 70, December 2021, issue 4

Published by Franz Steiner Verlag

article, 12890 Words
Original language: English
Historia 2021, pp 463-493
https://doi.org/10.25162/historia-2021-0017

Abstract Related content References

Abstract

When Vespasian captured Jerusalem in 70 AD, he put a palm tree on some of his victory coins. Is this palm tree a symbol for victory or rather for the subdued Jews? This controversial question can be clearly answered by making an iconographical distinction between palm trees and palm branches. This article discusses especially numismatic, but also philological, literary, pictorial, and botanical evidence, to defend that only the branches and wreaths of palms were used as symbols for victory, whereas the entire palm tree stood for Phoenicia or Judaea.

Author information

Johannes Nussbaum

Keywords

Judaea | capta | Phoenix | palm | victory | Jewish war

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