Aristobulus of Chalcis and Salome Coinage
The coin supplies contemporary portraits and royal names for Aristobulus and Salome. It illuminates the later Herodian family connected with Chalcis while documenting Aristobulus’s reign in Armenia Minor.
About the Discovery
A rare bronze coin portrays King Aristobulus on one side and his wife Salome on the other. Greek inscriptions identify both figures by their royal titles. The issue is dated to the thirteenth year of Aristobulus, corresponding to AD 66–67.
Aristobulus was the son of Herod of Chalcis, but the surviving joint-portrait coins belong to his reign in Armenia Minor rather than securely to his earlier connection with Chalcis. The precise mint remains disputed. The coins are therefore evidence for the Herodian dynasty associated with Chalcis, not proof that the coins were minted in Chalcis itself.
Scripture Reference
Mark 6:17–29; Matthew 14:3–11 (the daughter of Herodias, traditionally identified as Salome). Aristobulus and these coins are not named in these passages.