Adam
KOLMAN MARSHAK Coinage, Kingship and
Marriage: Legitimacy and Political Self-Identity in The
Reign of Herod the Great
This presentation examines
Herod the Great's attempts to legitimate his position as
King of Judaea by associating himself generally with
Hellenistic kingship and specifically with the previous
ruling dynasty, the Hasmoneans. To illustrate this
hypothesis, I will focus on Herod's royal activity and on
his numismatic program, specifically the images on the
coins and the messages that are advertised through these
images. By utilizing symbols and imagery associated with
both the Seleucids and the Hasmoneans, Herod made a
powerful claim to rightful succession. Herod's coinage,
therefore, is one aspect of his larger propaganda
program, which sought to solidify his claim to the throne
of Judaea.
When Herod the Great first
received the kingdom of Judaea from the Roman Senate in
40 bce, he had an extremely tentative claim. Although his
grandfather and father had served as important officials
in the Hasmonean court and Herod himself had been
strategos of Galilee,
he did not have any real royal connections. Additionally,
he was an Idumaean with an Arab mother and thus could not
be considered entirely Jewish. Almost immediately upon
receiving his crown, Herod began establishing his
credibility and legitimacy as king. While force of arms
may have given him Judaea, he needed some form of
legitimacy to govern it.
One way in which he attempted
to legitimate his rule was by overtly depicting himself
as the Hellenistic "good king." Through such activities
as royal patronage, military conquest and city founding,
Herod positioned himself in a familiar milieu of royal
activity and identity. For example, Herod patronized
several cities all over the Eastern Mediterranean
including Antioch, Olympia, Nicopolis and Rhodes. Besides
gaining honor and fame for his benefactions, Herod's
activities also enabled him to stake his claim as the
rightful successor to the Hellenistic kingdoms that had
formerly ruled Judaea.
Further, Herod consciously
connected himself with the Hasmonean dynasty, in
particular, with the family of Hyrcanus II (67, 63-40
bce), both by marrying Hyrcanus' granddaughter, Mariamme,
and by bringing him back from exile and appointing
Mariamme's brother, Aristobulus, High Priest. In essence,
Herod attempted to portray himself as Hyrcanus'
successor. Herod also used his coins to connect himself
with his Hasmonean predecessors. For example, a number of
Herodian coins contain an image of the double
cornucopiae. This coin type appeared on the majority of
coins struck during the reigns of John Hyrcanus I
(134-104 bce) and Aristobulus I (104-103 bce). It also
appears on some issues of Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 bce)
and even Herod's rival Mattathias Antigonus (40-37 bce).
Herod's coinage shows a monarch actively connecting
himself with the past by drawing on Hellenistic and
Hasmonean royal symbols and appropriating them for his
own use. By using the double cornucopiae, he was both
alluding to his Hasmonean predecessors and claiming to
succeed them.
Although Herod certainly used
violence and oppression to solidify and maintain his hold
on Judaea, force was not his only tool. A propaganda
program, encompassing architectural, political and
numismatic activities, also contributed to Herod's
stability and grip on power. Herod's attempts to
legitimate his rule, therefore, provide us with an
opportunity to perceive his royal self-identity and offer
us insights into some of the most important ways by which
he secured his reign.