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Tile fragment of the Tenth Legion. Roman Judaea, late 1st-2nd century AD. (13.5 cm wide x 9 cm high x 4 cm thick). The tile, a paver, is fashioned from pink clay, covered with whitish patina. Impressed on its face is a rectangular stamp with the letters “LE X FR.” (= Legio Decima Fretensis). Cf. N. Avigad, Discovering Jerusalem, 1980 P. 206, figs. 2, 3, and 4. Very Fine.
From the Dr. Jay M. Galst Collection.
The Tenth Legion was stationed in Palestine and Syria. It made up the forces that Vespasian employed in Northern Israel during his campaign of AD 66. Later, the legion comprised a good portion of the troops that destroyed Jerusalem under Titus. Three years later they ended the First Revolt when they captured Masada. Afterward, the Tenth Legion became the official and permanent garrison for the province of Judaea. Following the Bar Kochba Revolt, the legion was stationed in Jerusalem (which was renamed Aelia Capitolina by Hadrian). In the early 1990s a major Tenth Legion site was discovered during excavations for a parking lot next to the National Auditorium in Jerusalem. At that time a number of like tiles came on the market, but these have long since been dispersed.
Closing Date and Time: 15 June 2023 at 13:55:00 ET.
All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.
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