Jesus and ''The Tribute Penny'' 14-37 AD.

 

Biblical coins are a popular segment in the ancient coin lobby. For many it proves to be a gateway into the wider world of ancient numismatics, but most find just owning a coin mentioned in the Bible, an end in itself as a way to connect with that distant but meaningful past.

                       

Tiberius, Denarius, 14-37 AD, 'Tribute Penny'

Tiberius was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. During Tiberius's reign, Jesus of Nazareth preached and was spreading the words of the Almighty to the masses. Tiberius is mentioned by name in Luke 3:1, which states that that John the Baptist began his public ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius's reign. Most New Testament references to Caesar, refer to Tiberius.

The reign of Tiberius saw many social and political changes. This was the era of Roman Empire when the subjects of the Roman emperor were giving tribute and other taxes to the Empire. This policy of taxation was questioned by many, and a revolt was rising against it. It was during these collections, Jesus was questioned '' Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?''. He replied, ''bring me a penny, that I may see it''. The money is also known as ''Render unto Caesar'' and gave his speech when the tribute penny was shown to him. Jesus asked ''Whose is the image and superscription?''. When answered that the likeness was Caesar, he replied, ''Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's (Mathew 22:20-21)

                       

The Tribute Money, by Titan, 1516 AD, depicts Jesus being shown the tribute penny

                        

The Tribute Money, by Joachim Wtewael,1616 AD 
 

Tiberius's Denarius, about dime-sized silver coin, was the usual daily wage of a day labourer during Christ's time on earth. The word ''peny'' seems first to appear in the handwritten Wycliffe's Bible translation of the New Testament, texts in the 1480's followed thereafter by Tyndale's 1526 New Testament. The spelling changed to ''penny'' in the later translations. Since Tiberius was Caesar during Christ's time on earth, the denarius of Tiberius is most often identified as ''The Tribute Penny''.

                       

Tiberius, Denarius, 14-37 AD, Lugdunum mint, 15- 18 AD, silver, weight 3.8 gm, Obverse: Laureate head right, CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTS, Reverse: PONTIF MAXIM: Livia (as Pax) seated right on a chair with ornamented legs, holding a long-inverted spear with her right hand and an olive branch in her left, feet on a footstool
 

Coins were regularly used as a media of propaganda, and so the coin types were changed very frequently and tended to reflect the current news of the time to the subjects. Emperors who were in power for a short time issued several varieties. However, Tiberius who was Emperor for 23 years is represented by two denarii. After 15 AD, all his denarii were the same type. A large number of these coins were minted, and many thousands still exist and are in demand.

The Tribute Penny

Tiberius

Larissa, Thessaly and Arethusa, Syracuse Coins

 

Larissa is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region of Greece. According to Greek mythology it is said to be founded by Acrisius, who was killed accidentally by his grandson, Perseus. In mythology, the nymph Larissa was a daughter of the primordial man Pelasgus for whom the town was named. The area around Larissa was extremely fruitful, agriculturally important and in antiquity was known for its horses. The name Larissa is in origin a Pelasgian word for ''fortress''. It was a city-state during the Classical Era. 

                                      

Thessaly, Larissa, 395-344 BC, Stater

                                     

Location of Larissa, marked in blue in Greece

When Larissa ceased minting the federal coins, it shared with other Thessalian towns and adopted its own coinage in the late fifth century BC. It chose local types for its coins. Larissa, sometimes written Larisa on ancient coins and inscriptions, is near the site of the Homeric Argissa.  Despite its long history, Larissa only minted coins as an independent city-state for around 300 years. Larissa lost its independence around 344 BC, when Philip II (ruled 359-336 BC), King of Macedon and father of Alexander III ''the Great'' annexed the city. Thereafter, the area was taken over by kings of the Seleucid Empire. Despite that, it minted coins till the 3rd century BC. In 196 BC, Larissa became an ally of Rome and was one of the main cities in the Thessalian League, until it was disbanded in 146 BC.

A strong feature strongly reflected on its coinage is the head of the local nymph Larissa and a horse. Larissa, daughter of primordial king who drowned in the river Peneios was reborn as a water nymph.  

                                        

Larissa, Thessaly, Drachm, 365 BC, weight 6.0 gm, Obverse: Head of the nymph Larissa facing slightly left, Reverse: Mare standing right, Foal standing right in the background

This style of coins was copied from the head of Arethusa Syracusan tetradrachms, depicted on by Cimon. Arethusa, as in Greek mythology was a nymph who fled from her home in Arcadia beneath the sea and came up as a freshwater fountain on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, Sicily. On coins, as a patron figure of Syracuse, the head of Arethusa is surrounded by dolphins. these are regarded as among the most famous and beautiful Ancient Greek coins.

                                          

Location of Syracuse in Italy

                                       

Location of Syracuse, in Sicily

 

Among the master engraver towards the end of the fifth century BC who were allowed to sign their dies, none surpassed Kimon. His Syracusan tetradrachms bearing the almost facing head of Arethusa is widely recognized as the peak of his artistry. The goddess-nymph is shown beneath the water, her hair in elegant suspension amidst playful dolphins. Her gaze attracts the observer. The eyes are expressive. The overall impression created is of a superior being. Kimon's tetradrachms with the signed facing busts are very rare and prized. An example in extremely fine condition sold for a hammer price of $ 575000.                                        

Syracuse, Arethusa, Sicily, 405-400 BC, Tetradrachm, silver, weight 16.9 gm, Obverse: Arethusa facing slightly inclined to the left, wearing two necklaces, her hair flows on soft waves around her head, on the ampyx over the forehead, signature KIMON, on the right two dolphins swimming and a third emerging from the hair to the left, Reverse: Quadriga galloping to the left, the charioteer, holding reigns and Kentron, looks back at his pursuers, above Nike presenting a wreath to the charioteer, ear of barley in exergue

Thessaly, Larissa

Arethusa

Thessaly Larissa coin

Kohinoor, its Travelogue and Coins

 

The Koh-i-Noor (from Persian KOH-in-OOR, for ''Mountain of Light''), also spelled Kohinoor is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 gm). However, the earliest well-attested weight is 186 carats or 38.2 gm. Although the origin of the Kohinoor has many theories, that include claims of it appearing in Sanskrit and even Mesopotamian texts as early as 3200 BC or it being in the possession of the Rajas of Malwa for generations prior to 1304 AD. However, it is widely accepted that the stone is a Golconda diamond, possibly mined in the Kollur Mine in India, during the period of the Kakatiya dynasty (1163-1323 AD). Let us trace its documented travel of more than seven centuries (about 718 years)                                

Kakatiyas of Warangal, 900-1000 AD, gold, punch marked coin

Alauddin Khilji. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire wrote that it was Alauddin Khilji who acquired the diamond, not yet called the Kohinoor, when he invaded southern India in 1303-1304 AD and looted it from the Kakatias. He was an emperor of the Khilji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1296 to 1316 AD.                                       

           Alauddin Khilji, 1296-1316 AD

                                          

Alauddin Khilji, Tanka, 1296-1316, silver, weight 10.8 gm, Obverse: legend in Persian, '' Alsultan al- azam/ ala al-dunya waldin/ abu'l muzaffar muhammad shah/al-sultan, Reverse: Zarb Hazihi Al-Fizzat Bi-Hazrat Dehli Fi Sanat (date), legend in Persian ''Sikandar al-thani/ yamin al-khilafa/ nasir/ amir al- mu minin, date 698 AH 

Babur. In 1526, Babur received it as a tribute for his conquest of Delhi and Agra at the Battle of Panipat. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi in 1526 AD, and founded the Mughal Empire.                                       

              Babur, 1483-1530 AD
 

                                         

Babur, Shahrukhi, AH 935, AD 1538, silver, weight 4.69 gm, Obverse: mint name (Agra) and date, AH 935, Reverse: Kalma within circle

Shah Jahan. (1628 to 1635 AD). He was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire. He decided to use many of the jewels in his treasury to make the ornate Peacock Throne in 1635 AD, which had the Kohinoor.

                                       

               Shah Jahan, 1592-1666 AD

                                          

Shah Jahan, AH 1038-1042, AD 1629-1633, silver, weight 11.4 gm, Obverse: Shah Jahan Shahab ul din badshah ghazi around saheb-e-qiran sani, Reverse; Kalima shahada, at bottom elahi month, regnal year and zarb Ahmadabad 

Nader Shah. In 1738 he invaded India. He was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran. With nearly 10,000 wagons of loot, valued over millions of rupees, Nader Shah carried away the Peacock Throne. It is here on the head of one of the peacocks on the throne that Nader Shah's biographer Muhammad Maharvi first records seeing the Koh-I-Noor in 1740 AD. It is alleged that Nader Shah exclaimed Koh-i-Noor or ''Mountain of light'' in Persian when he saw the stone. After Nader Shah was killed and his empire collapsed in 1747, his grandson became the owner of the Kohinoor.  

                                         

Nader Shah, 1688-1747 AD, founder of Afsharid dynasty of Iran                                       

Nader Shah, Iran, AH 1154, AD 1741, Rupee (10 Shahi), silver, weight 11.5 gm, Obverse: ''hast sultan bar salatin jehan, shah-e-shanhan nadir sahib qiran, Reverse: Zarb 1154 or AD 1741

  

Ahmad Shah Durrani. In 1751 AD, Nader Shah's grandson gave the Kohinoor to Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Afghan Empire, in return for his support. 

                                           

Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of modern Afghanistan, reign 1747-1772 AD

                                      

Ahmad Shah, AH 1173-1174, AD 1760-1761, silver, Rupee, weight 11.3 gm, Obverse: Durrani couplet ''Mahi Ta Bamah'', Reverse: Julus memanat  manus sana zarb

One of Ahmad Shah's grandson, Shuja Shah Durrani, wore a bracelet containing the diamond on the occasion of Mountstuart Elphinstone's visit to Peshawar in 1808. Shah Shuja was overthrown, and he fled with the diamond to Lahore, where Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, in return for his hospitality took possession of it in 1813.

Ranjit Singh. He used to wear the diamond in the front of his turban and paraded it on an elephant to enable his subjects to see the diamond. He would exhibit it to prominent visitors, including the British officers.                                        

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1780-1839 AD, known as Lion of Punjab 

                                         

Ranjit Singh, 1885-1895 VS, 1828-1838 AD, Rupee, silver, weight 11.1 gm, Obverse: Fixed/ Frozen date VS 1884, leaf and Mint name (Amritsar), Reverse: last two digits of actual date in VS Era (18) 85

Gulab Singh. After several years of turmoil following Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, Gulab Singh, Raja of Jammu, who was Prime Minister Dhian Singh's brother became the owner of the diamond, and held on to the stone until January 1841, when he presented it to Emperor Sher Singh in order to win his favour. The diamond changed hands several times and finally, the five-year-old Duleep Singh became the Sikh Emperor, after three of the older sons of Ranjit Singh were killed in quick succession and thus Duleep Singh became the new owner of the diamond.

                                          

Gulab Singh, 1792-1857 AD, first Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir   

                                      

Gulab Singh, 1846-1849 AD, One Rupee, silver, weight 10.8 gm, Obverse: Ruler's name in Persian, Reverse: Leaf and VS date, VS 1903, without initials ''JHS'', Zarb Srinagar

 

Duleep Singh. Was the youngest son of Ranjit Singh and the last ruler of the Sikh Empire. The Kohinoor was fastened to the arm of the child emperor in court at Lahore. He and his mother Jind Kaur had till then resided in Jammu, the kingdom governed by Gulab Singh. After the Second Anglo-Sikh War, at the age of 15, he was exiled to Britain where he was befriended by Queen Victoria. He died at 55, living most of his years in the United Kingdom. 

                                         

Maharaja Duleep Singh, 1838-1893, last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.

                                         

Duleep Singh, VS 1902-1903, AD 1845-1846, Rupee, silver, weight 11.1 gm, Obverse: Leaf and frozen date VS 1885, Reverse: Banner upwards VS 1903, lettering 193.

                                        

An illustration of the Koh-i-Noor diamond as it was worn before it was in possession of Queen Victoria

 

Queen Victoria. The Kohinoor was formally presented to the queen on 03 July 1850 at Buckingham Palace. The date coincided with the Company's 250th anniversary. 

                                         

Queen Victoria wears the Koh-i-Noor diamond as a brooch in 1887

                                          

Victoria, 1849, Rupee, silver, weight 11.6 gm, Obverse: Bust of Queen Victoria facing left dividing a legend on both sides, lettering Victoria Queen, Reverse: Denomination within a wreath, date below

 

In 1852 re-cutting of the diamond was carried out. Originally, it had 169 facets and was 4.1 centimeters (1.6 in) long, 3.26 centimeters (1.28 in) wide and 1.62 centimeters (0.64 in) deep. After spending 8,000 Pounds, and about 450 hours, the weight was reduced from 186 old carats (191 modern carats or 38.2 gm) to its current 105.6 carats (21.12 gm). The stone measures 3.6 cm (1.4 in) long, 3.2 cm (1.3 in) wide and 1.3 cm (0.5 in) deep and has 66 facets.

Queen Alexandra. After Queen Victoria's death, the Kohinoor was set in the crown of Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII, at their coronation in 1902. The diamond was transferred to Queen Mary's Crown in 1911, and finally to Queen Elizabeth's Crown in 1937. The crown, which has a platinum frame set with 2,800 diamonds, has a front cross holding the Kohinoor in a detachable platinum mount. The Crown Jewels are valued between 10 and 12 billion dollars.

                                             

       Queen Alexandra, 1844-1925 AD, 

                                           

Queen Alexandra and King Edwards, coronation medal, Hong Kong, bronze, diameter 37 mm, Obverse: Cojoined crowned busts facing right with lettering, Reverse: Coastal scene with ships at sea  

It was set on Queen Elizabeth's coffin in April 2002, marking the crown's last public appearance. It now lies in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. 

                                         

               Kohinoor in the Crown

In May next year, during King Charles III's coronation, Queen Consort Camilla may or may not adorn the controversial Kohinoor, as many debates taken place regarding its ownership.

The Kohinoor has long been a subject of diplomatic controversy with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran claiming ownership and its return from the UK. 

Kohinoor

Was the Supernova of 1054 AD, (Crab Nebula) depicted on a Byzantine Coin

 

There was a supernova explosion in AD 1054. Despite the fact that it occurred about 6,500 light-years away, it was visible in the sky for 23 days and about 653 nights thereafter. A bright explosion, known to the present-day astronomers as SN 1054. The supernova explosion eventually formed what is now called the M1- the Crab Nebula. It was one of only eight recorded supernovae in the history of the Milky Way. This was witnessed by the Chinese astronomers, who referred it as a ''guest star'', while astronomers in Japan and Iraq also noted its appearance in writing and on stone inscriptions. However, this was never mentioned in Europe, (maybe for reasons as mentioned later in this writeup), which at that time was largely ruled by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX and the Christian church.                                       

Constantine IX, Monomachus, AD 1054, gold, two stars flanking crown

The Crab Nebula was identified as a supernova remanent of SN 1054, between 1921 and 1942, which is an interesting study by itself.

                                        

The Crab Nebula, the remnants of SN 1054, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in visible light, at its core is a long dead star, Image credit: NASA, ESA, J.Hester and A.Loll.                                        

                                       

The guest star reported by Chinese astronomers in AD 1054 is identified as SN 1054. The highlighted passages refer to the supernova   

                                        

Simulated image of the SN 1054 at the position of the modern Crab Nebula, as presumably would have been observed from Kaifeng, China during the morning of 04 July 1054 AD.

A team of researchers has published a study in the ''European Journal of Science and Theology,'' that analyzed four Byzantine gold coins minted during Constantine IX's reign, from AD 1042 to 1055. In contrast to the three coins that show only one star, the fourth coin, minted in AD 1054, known in the technical jargon as the Constantine IX Monomachos Class IV coin is framed by two bright stars, which may be the depiction of the supernova. The sun may be represented by the emperor's head, Venus by the eastern star, and SN 1054, might be represented by the ''guest star" or the western star, which is visible in the daytime sky opposite Venus for nearly a month. This coin was mined between the summer of 1054 AD and the spring of 1055 AD. Interestingly, the supernova first appeared in the constellation of Taurus on 04 July 1054 AD, and disappeared in April 1056 AD 

                                      

    

Two stars are noticed on Class IV coin, whereas all other classes, i.e., Class I, Class II and Class III coins have one star (minted during Constantine IX's reign), Credit Filipovic et al, Phys Org  

                                       

Constantine IX, Monomachus, 1054 - 1055 AD, gold, weight 4.4 gm, Constantinople mint, Obverse: Bust of Christ, Reverse: crowned facing bust of Constantine IX, holding globus cruciger in right hand and sword in left, two stars flanking crown

                                        

Some of the analytical techniques used on the coins included precise dimensioning, Credit Filipovic et al 

According to this research, SN 1054 visible on the rare coin suggests that Byzantine scholars may not have written about it as the church may have had a prejudice against observing any changes to the sky that would threaten the theological status quo, and the peaceful environment prevalent then. In this case, managing to circumvent censorship, a special edition coin minted after the AD 1054 event, might have provided an effective way to record the event.

Researchers also examined 36 similar coins at various museums across the world, which revealed another spectacular detail. It is possible that SN 1054's gradual dimming in the sky was depicted by the variation in size of the western star shown on the coins. We can still see SN 1054 today as the ''Crab Nebula'' with a good telescope. 

But as with much of ancient history, it is hard to separate fact from speculation, but we must appreciate the work done by researchers. 

Article by Andy Tomaswick, in Universe Today, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada.

Article by Ivan Petricevic in Curiosmos