Phoenix dactylifera/Judaea dactylifera . Palma daktylowa jako “symbol żydowski” w świecie grecko-rzymskim
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Date
2014-06
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Poznańskie Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk
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PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA/JUDAEA DACTYLIFERA. THE DATE PALM AS A “JEWISH SYMBOL” IN THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD
Abstract
The aim of this article is to present the development of the date palm (phoenix dactylifera) as a symbol of the Jewish nation, their land Judaea and their separate religious beliefs and distinct culture in the Greco-Roman world. Literary and visual sources of this motif have their origin in very different contexts – Greek and Latin authors, Biblical texts, Roman and Jewish coinage, and synagogue art in Palestine and the Diaspora.
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The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) was an important tree for the ancients because of its nourishing fruit and aesthetic appearance. In the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean world the palm branch was a symbol of victory, peace and eternal life. In Judaism, the palm frond (lulav) was one of the Four Species of plants used in the Succoth holiday celebrations to symbolize peace and unity. The cultic importance of the palm led to symbolic connection with the Temple, especially given the fact that it grew particularly well in the area around Jericho – which the Bible calls “the city of palm trees”.
During the Roman Empire, the date palm represented Judaea and its fecundity to both Romans and Jews. Greco-Roman sources praised the date as the product of the province. The date palm was a frequent image for Judaea on Imperial coinage. The most famous Judaea Capta series appeared in numerous variations between 71 and 82 C.E. The Judaea Capta type shows a date palm transformed into a sort of a trophy which was modified to represent Judaea – the newly “captured” nation. The Judaea Capta series minted throughout the Empire was a propagandistic assertion of the Flavians. The date palm appeared also on Hasmonean coin and on coinage issued in 38–39 C.E. by Herod Antipas. The final usage of the palm tree in Jewish coinage took place during the First and Second Revolts against Rome.
After the destruction of the Second Temple the representation of the date palm appeared in Jewish funerary and synagogue contexts. Numismatists and archaeologists often interpret the seven branches palm trees on Jewish artefacts as the menorah – the Jewish symbol par excellence. But the appearance of the palm frond (lulav) in synagogues (imitatio templi) seems to have been depicted primarily in messianic association and referenced to promise of salvation when the Temple will be rebuilt and all nations “will come up to Jerusalem in peace to keep the Feast of the Tabernacle” (Zechariah 14:18).
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Keywords
JEWS, JUDAISM, JUDAEA, PALM TREE, LULAY, JEWISH SYMBOL, ROMAN AND JEWISH COINS, SYNAGOGUE ART
Citation
Studia Europaea Gnesnensia, 9/2014, s. 105-125
ISBN
978-83-7654-166-2