Mounted in an 18 karat gold pendant set with a stunning ruby.

Herod Archelaus was the son of Herod the Great. When his father died in 4 B.C., the kingdom was divided, with Herod Archelaus receiving the major and most important share of the territory, encompassing Samaria, Judea and Idumea. He w as granted the title of ethnarch, earlier conferred on john Hyrcanus II by Julius Caesar. Archelaus ruled over an increasingly hostile population, and after ten years of his reign, a Jewish delegation went to Rome and complained to Augustus about Archelaus' oppressive regime. Augustus exploited the opportunity to make further inroads into Judea, banishing Archelaus and replacing him in 6 A.D. with a Roman procurator, Coponius. Archelaus' territories were annexed to the province of Syria, with a special internal status. Archelaus used his family name--Herod--on his coins, and it is only because of the associated title ethnarch that they can be identified as his rather than his father's. He also refrained from upsetting the Jews by avoiding emblems offensive to their religious feelings. Most of his motifs are subjects such as the galley, prow and anchor. However, there are other patterns such as the cornucopia, wreath, helmet and the bunch of grapes, similar to the golden bunch present in the temple in his father's day. This stunning coin features the depiction of the prow of a ship, facing right, with an inscription. On the reverse side is another inscription, this one surrounded by a wreath and framed by a border of dots. To wear this handsome coin, with its radiant gold and jewel setting, is to be enriched by the spirited energy of the fast that lingers within the coin, capturing us forever in its magic spell.