The Dated Coins of Herod the Great: Towards a New Chronology

Abstract

AbstractThis paper discusses and proposes a new chronology for a series of Herod the Great's coins, known as the dated series, which are largest and most artistic of his coin issues. While earlier scholarship dated these issues to the early Herodian period, this paper argues instead that the coins were struck in 27 B.C.E. to commemorate the rebuilding and renaming of Samaria/Sebaste in Augustus' honor. Herod minted these coins as a special series to celebrate this great achievement, an accomplishment that simultaneously advertised Herod's power and magnificence as well as his loyalty to the new Augustan regime.