The Star of Bethlehem on Roman and Celtic Coins

It is well known that the Romans recorded a comet in 44BC on coins inscribed to the divine Julius, DIVVS IVLLIVS. But this is not the only observation recorded on Roman coins. Coins issued by Tiberius record a star during the reign of his predecessor, Augustus. The first coin displays the portrait of Augustus and adds a 6-pointed star above his head. Coin experts admit they do not understand why the star was added. Similar coins were produced at provincial mints in Spain, Gaul, Sicily, the Balkans, and Cyprus. These coins were inscribed to the divine Augustus, DIVVS AVGVSTVS, with the title PATER (Father of his Countrymen) conferred on him in 2BC.

Tiberius issued a second coin with the star above Augustus and the reverse displays an eagle standing on the globe of earth. This artwork has stymied numimatists. It is no ordinary bird of prey. It is larger than the earth. It is above and beyond the earth. It is an extra-terrestrial eagle. This pattern can only be explained by stellar cartography for this is the constellation figure of Aquila. The Romans distinguished constellation figures by adding the earth for perspective and Capricornus is shown as a sea-goat holding the earth between it’s forelegs. This Aquila coin celebrates a star in Aquila in 2BC when Augustus received the honor of PATER. This coin was re-issued by emperor Domitian in the final decade of the first century. It is certain that Ignatius handled these coins for they were in active circulation throughout his lifetime.

Farther afield, the Celts of Britain struck coins during the reign of Augustus depicting a brilliant star. One coin has an eagle pattern similar to the Roman coin and it adds a tiny circle near one wing. A dozen coin books cannot explain the symbolism. In astronomy, ancient and modern, an eagle with spread wings represents Aquila and a dot or circle represents a star. This star appeared in the western wing of Aquila. The Celts celebrated this star on coins right up until 43AD when Britain was invaded by Roman legions and lost its independence. The Celts were acknowledged to be diligent sky observers. “They have many discussions as touching the stars and their own movement and the size of the universe and of the earth” (Julius Caesar). Like the Romans, the celts recorded observations on coins and they seems to have gone one step further and plotted sky positions. This star must have been of memorable brilliance for it was celebrated on Roman coins for 9 decades and on Celtic coins for more than 4.

This same nova in Aquila, or an earlier nova, may have been observed in the Far East. In 4BC, sky observers in China and Korea recorded a po-hsing in Aquila, a sparkling star shooting light in all directions. Kukarkin and Pskovskii thought this was a nova and an independent observation of the Star of Bethlehem. Arthur C. Clarke suggested that a pulsar in Aquila, PSR1913+16, could be the collapsed remnant of the star of Bethlehem. Clarke was unaware of these coins but his candidate is located in the western wing of Aquila near that intriguing circle on those Celtic coins.

I recall an AAVSO article by Dorrit Hoffleit ("The Chr.shtmlas Star, Novae, and Pulsars", JAAVSO, Vol. 13, p.10, 1984) referring to a possible “star map” in the [Priscilla] catacombs [in Rome] that seemed to position the Star of Bethlehem in Aquila. Does this all connect?

Mr. McIvor is the author of "Star of Bethlehem, Star of the Messiah" (Overland Press, Canada). His email address is rsmcivor@aol.com.

Coin 1. This coin was struck by Augustus to commemorate the comet in 44BC.

Coin 2. This coin struck under Tiberius in 15 or 16 CE with a 6-pointed star above the portrait star above the portrait of DIVVS AVGVSTVS, PATER. Similar coins were produced at mints in Spain, Gaul, Sicily, the Balkans, and Cyprus.

Coin 3. Coin struck by Tiberius and re-issued by Domitan. A star above the portrait of Augustus on the obverse, and Aquila on the reverse.

Coin 4. Capricornus on Roman coins as a sea-goat with the globe of the earth between its forelegs.

Coin 5. Celtic coin of Tasciovanus (circa 10BCE-7CE) struck at his mint at Camulodunon (north of the Thames).

Coin 6. Celtic coin of Eppillus (circa10BCE-10CE) struck at his mint at Calleva (south of the Thames). This reverse shows an eagle with spread wings with a tiny dot inside a circle near one wing.

Coin 7. Celtic coin of Caratacus (35-43 CE) struck at his mint at Verulamion (north of Thames). The reverse displays an eagle with spread wings, with 7 circles under each wing, plus a 15th circle at its tail, the same number of regular stars Claudius Ptolemy described in Aquila. The coin displays an extra star, a 16th circle, above one wing.

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