Roman Procurator coinage
Encyclopedia
Roman Procurator coinage were coins issued by the Roman
Procurators and Prefects of the province of Judea between 6 - 66 AD. They minted only one denomination and size, the bronze prutah
.
Not all of the Procurators issued coinage. Those that did were Coponius
, Marcus Ambivulus
, Valerius Gratus
, Pontius Pilate
, Antonius Felix
and Porcius Festus
, who between them issued a total of 19 different coins. The last three Procurators Lucceius Albinus
, Gessius Florus
and Marcus Antonius Julianus
didn't issue any coins as the tidings of the First Jewish-Roman War
was in the air and the leaders of the revolt started issuing their own coins.
was the first Roman Prefect of Judaea, being appointed in 6 AD when Herod Archelaus
, the son of Herod the Great
, was deposed and banished to Gaul
by Augustus
. Coponius depicted the palm tree bearing two bunches of dates on his coinage, which previously had appeared only on extremely rare coins of Herod Antipas
. The palm tree design was later used to represent Judaea on coins issued by the Jews during the First
and Second Revolts, as well as later Roman-issued Judaean-related pieces.
The obverse of Coponius's coins show an ear of barley
. The representation of palm trees and barley was done out of sensitivity to Jewish belief not to depict a living creature, and especially not a human being, on their coinage; hence, there is no portrait of the Emperor
Augustus on these coins. However, the inscriptions on the coins clearly proclaim that Judaea was occupied by Imperial Rome
; hence, the Greek
letters surrounding the barley read: [K]aisa-ros ["of Caesar"] with the date, also in Greek letters, under the palm.
was the Prefect of Judaea from 9 - 12 A.D. He issued a coin for each of the three years of his rule. Like those issued by Coponius
, the coins of Ambivulus depicted a palm tree bearing two bunches of dates and an ear of barley.
was Prefect of Judaea under the Emperor Tiberius
. Gratus issued several different types of coins in as many years. The symbols represented on his coins included palm branches, lilies, cornucopia
, grape leaves and amphora
e. His coins showed Caesar’s title within a wreath, and the Emperor’s name 'TIB' or his mother, Julia (IOYLIA), and the year of his reign above two cornucopiae.
') issued by Pontius Pilate
between 26 - 36 AD are of especial interest to Christians and Jews because of his connection with Jesus Christ and his involvement in Jewish history. The evidence of his coinage and the Pilate inscription found at Caesarea seems to reveal that Pontius Pilate
as Prefect was determined to promote a form of the Roman religion in Judaea regardless of whether this was offensive to the Jews. Unlike those of his predecessors, the coinage issued by Pilate depicts Roman symbolism connected with the imperial cult
such as the simpulum
and lituus
. However, it has been argued that if Pilate was deliberately trying to offend the Jews he would have put the head of the Emperor on the obverse of his coinage. Instead, he depicted three ears of barley. A third type showed crossed palm branches and a wreathed inscription.
The lituus was the wand
of an augur
, and was used to interpret natural phenomenon such as lightning flashes, the flight of birds, etc. The simpulum was a ladle used to make libations during sacrifices and was a common symbol of the Roman priesthood. These symbols were guaranteed to offend Jewish religious sensibilities being placed on coinage that they would have to handle on a daily basis.
According to the Caesarea inscription, Pilate dedicated a Tiberieum to the deified Augustus
. Philo
wrote that Pilate was "...inflexible, merciless and obstinate...(and did not) wish to do anything that would please his subjects." Josephus
stated that Pilate set up shields, also associated with the Roman imperial cult, in honour of Tiberius
in the Jewish Temple
in Jerusalem, which also caused great offence to the Jews, who protested until they were removed.
Felix
was Procurator of Judaea under Claudius
. His coins bear the names of Claudius, Julia Agrippina
, Nero
(as 'Caesar
'), and Britannicus
. The obverse of his coins show two shields and two spears crossed, while the reverse shows a six-branched palm tree bearing two bunches of dates. The depiction of military arms on these coins would have been a constant reminder to the Jews that handled them that they were under the jurisdiction of Rome
.
Procurator under Nero
, only one known coin type was issued by Festus
, the obverse of which features a palm branch and the Greek
legend KAICAPO (Caesar), and the reverse NEPWNOC (Nero) in a wreath.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
Procurators and Prefects of the province of Judea between 6 - 66 AD. They minted only one denomination and size, the bronze prutah
Prutah
Prutah Hebrew is a word borrowed from the Mishnah and the Talmud, in which it means "a coin of smaller value". The word was probably derived originally from an Aramaic word with the same meaning....
.
Not all of the Procurators issued coinage. Those that did were Coponius
Coponius
Coponius was the first governor of Iudaea province, about 6 CE.He was, like the procurators who succeeded him, of knightly rank, and "had the power of life and death". During his administration occurred the revolt of Judas the Galilean , the cause of which was not so much the personality of...
, Marcus Ambivulus
Marcus Ambivulus
Marcus Ambivulus was Roman Prefect of the province of Judea and Samaria. Originally a cavalry officer, he succeeded Coponius in 9 AD and ruled the area until 13 AD when he was succeeded by Annius Rufus. Josephus noted his tenure in Antiquities 18.31....
, Valerius Gratus
Valerius Gratus
Valerius Gratus was the Roman Prefect of Iudaea province under Tiberius from 15 to 26 AD. He succeeded Annius Rufus and was replaced by Pontius Pilate....
, Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
, Antonius Felix
Antonius Felix
Marcus Antonius Felix was the Roman procurator of Iudaea Province 52-58, in succession to Ventidius Cumanus.- Life :...
and Porcius Festus
Porcius Festus
Porcius Festus was procurator of Judea from about AD 59 to 62, succeeding Antonius Felix. His exact time in office is not known. The earliest proposed date for the start of his term is c. A.D. 55-6, while the latest is A.D. 61. These extremes have not gained much support and most scholars opt...
, who between them issued a total of 19 different coins. The last three Procurators Lucceius Albinus
Lucceius Albinus
Lucceius Albinus was the Roman Procurator of Judea from AD 62 until 64 and the governor of Mauretania from 64 until 69.Appointed procurator by the Emperor Nero following the death of his predecessor, Porcius Festus, Albinus faced his first challenge while traveling from Alexandria to his new...
, Gessius Florus
Gessius Florus
Gessius Florus was the Roman procurator of Judea from 64 until 66. Born in Clazomenae, Florus was appointed to replace Lucceius Albinus as procurator by the Emperor Nero due to his wife's friendship with Nero's wife Poppaea...
and Marcus Antonius Julianus
Marcus Antonius Julianus
Marcus Antonius Julianus was a procurator of Judea during the time of the Great Jewish Revolt.According to the Octavius he wrote a history relevant to the Jews.-See also:* Prefects, Procurators, and Legates of Roman Judaea...
didn't issue any coins as the tidings of the First Jewish-Roman War
First Jewish-Roman War
The First Jewish–Roman War , sometimes called The Great Revolt , was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews of Judaea Province , against the Roman Empire...
was in the air and the leaders of the revolt started issuing their own coins.
Coponius
CoponiusCoponius
Coponius was the first governor of Iudaea province, about 6 CE.He was, like the procurators who succeeded him, of knightly rank, and "had the power of life and death". During his administration occurred the revolt of Judas the Galilean , the cause of which was not so much the personality of...
was the first Roman Prefect of Judaea, being appointed in 6 AD when Herod Archelaus
Herod Archelaus
Herod Archelaus was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I....
, the son of Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
, was deposed and banished to Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
by Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. Coponius depicted the palm tree bearing two bunches of dates on his coinage, which previously had appeared only on extremely rare coins of Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipater , known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
. The palm tree design was later used to represent Judaea on coins issued by the Jews during the First
First Jewish-Roman War
The First Jewish–Roman War , sometimes called The Great Revolt , was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews of Judaea Province , against the Roman Empire...
and Second Revolts, as well as later Roman-issued Judaean-related pieces.
The obverse of Coponius's coins show an ear of barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
. The representation of palm trees and barley was done out of sensitivity to Jewish belief not to depict a living creature, and especially not a human being, on their coinage; hence, there is no portrait of the Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Augustus on these coins. However, the inscriptions on the coins clearly proclaim that Judaea was occupied by Imperial Rome
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
; hence, the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
letters surrounding the barley read: [K]aisa-ros ["of Caesar"] with the date, also in Greek letters, under the palm.
Marcus Ambivulus
Marcus AmbivulusMarcus Ambivulus
Marcus Ambivulus was Roman Prefect of the province of Judea and Samaria. Originally a cavalry officer, he succeeded Coponius in 9 AD and ruled the area until 13 AD when he was succeeded by Annius Rufus. Josephus noted his tenure in Antiquities 18.31....
was the Prefect of Judaea from 9 - 12 A.D. He issued a coin for each of the three years of his rule. Like those issued by Coponius
Coponius
Coponius was the first governor of Iudaea province, about 6 CE.He was, like the procurators who succeeded him, of knightly rank, and "had the power of life and death". During his administration occurred the revolt of Judas the Galilean , the cause of which was not so much the personality of...
, the coins of Ambivulus depicted a palm tree bearing two bunches of dates and an ear of barley.
Valerius Gratus
Valerius GratusValerius Gratus
Valerius Gratus was the Roman Prefect of Iudaea province under Tiberius from 15 to 26 AD. He succeeded Annius Rufus and was replaced by Pontius Pilate....
was Prefect of Judaea under the Emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
. Gratus issued several different types of coins in as many years. The symbols represented on his coins included palm branches, lilies, cornucopia
Cornucopia
The cornucopia or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, nuts, other edibles, or wealth in some form...
, grape leaves and amphora
Amphora
An amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
e. His coins showed Caesar’s title within a wreath, and the Emperor’s name 'TIB' or his mother, Julia (IOYLIA), and the year of his reign above two cornucopiae.
Pontius Pilate
The bronze coins (or 'prutahPrutah
Prutah Hebrew is a word borrowed from the Mishnah and the Talmud, in which it means "a coin of smaller value". The word was probably derived originally from an Aramaic word with the same meaning....
') issued by Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
between 26 - 36 AD are of especial interest to Christians and Jews because of his connection with Jesus Christ and his involvement in Jewish history. The evidence of his coinage and the Pilate inscription found at Caesarea seems to reveal that Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
as Prefect was determined to promote a form of the Roman religion in Judaea regardless of whether this was offensive to the Jews. Unlike those of his predecessors, the coinage issued by Pilate depicts Roman symbolism connected with the imperial cult
Imperial cult (ancient Rome)
The Imperial cult of ancient Rome identified emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority of the Roman State...
such as the simpulum
Simpulum
A simpulum, or simpuvium, was a small vessel or ladle with a long handle from the Roman era, used at sacrifices to make libations, and to taste the wines and other liquors which were poured on the head of the sacrificial victims...
and lituus
Lituus
The word lituus originally meant a curved augural staff or a curved war-trumpet in the ancient Latin language. In English it is used with several meanings.-Roman ritual wand:...
. However, it has been argued that if Pilate was deliberately trying to offend the Jews he would have put the head of the Emperor on the obverse of his coinage. Instead, he depicted three ears of barley. A third type showed crossed palm branches and a wreathed inscription.
The lituus was the wand
Wand
A wand is a thin, straight, hand-held stick of wood, stone, ivory, or metal. Generally, in modern language, wands are ceremonial and/or have associations with magic but there have been other uses, all stemming from the original meaning as a synonym of rod and virge, both of which had a similar...
of an augur
Augur
The augur was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome and Etruria. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds: whether they are flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of...
, and was used to interpret natural phenomenon such as lightning flashes, the flight of birds, etc. The simpulum was a ladle used to make libations during sacrifices and was a common symbol of the Roman priesthood. These symbols were guaranteed to offend Jewish religious sensibilities being placed on coinage that they would have to handle on a daily basis.
According to the Caesarea inscription, Pilate dedicated a Tiberieum to the deified Augustus
Imperial cult (ancient Rome)
The Imperial cult of ancient Rome identified emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority of the Roman State...
. Philo
Philo
Philo , known also as Philo of Alexandria , Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, Yedidia, "Philon", and Philo the Jew, was a Hellenistic Jewish Biblical philosopher born in Alexandria....
wrote that Pilate was "...inflexible, merciless and obstinate...(and did not) wish to do anything that would please his subjects." Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
stated that Pilate set up shields, also associated with the Roman imperial cult, in honour of Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
in the Jewish Temple
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
in Jerusalem, which also caused great offence to the Jews, who protested until they were removed.
Antonius Felix
Antonius Felix
Marcus Antonius Felix was the Roman procurator of Iudaea Province 52-58, in succession to Ventidius Cumanus.- Life :...
was Procurator of Judaea under Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
. His coins bear the names of Claudius, Julia Agrippina
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
(as 'Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
'), and Britannicus
Britannicus
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
. The obverse of his coins show two shields and two spears crossed, while the reverse shows a six-branched palm tree bearing two bunches of dates. The depiction of military arms on these coins would have been a constant reminder to the Jews that handled them that they were under the jurisdiction of Rome
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Porcius Festus
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, only one known coin type was issued by Festus
Porcius Festus
Porcius Festus was procurator of Judea from about AD 59 to 62, succeeding Antonius Felix. His exact time in office is not known. The earliest proposed date for the start of his term is c. A.D. 55-6, while the latest is A.D. 61. These extremes have not gained much support and most scholars opt...
, the obverse of which features a palm branch and the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
legend KAICAPO (Caesar), and the reverse NEPWNOC (Nero) in a wreath.