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1/2 Prutah - Herod the Great
| Issuer | Judea |
|---|---|
| Year | 40 BC - 4 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.86 g |
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| Obverse description | A cornucopia occupies the central field, rendered in low relief typical of Herodian bronze coinage. The Greek legend ΒΑCΙΛ appears above and ΗΡWΔ below, identifying the issuer as King Herod. The flan is irregular and the striking somewhat crude, consistent with the small hammered bronzes of this reign. The overall design is simple yet characteristic of Judaean royal coinage of the late first century BC. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Herod ruled as a client king under Roman authority, his legitimacy always dependent on keeping Rome satisfied rather than his own subjects. These small bronzes were struck not to impress but to keep commerce moving in a kingdom perpetually on the edge of internal revolt. Hendin 1190 is among the more common of his issues, yet the survival rate of legible specimens is low — the alloy degrades badly in Judean soil conditions, and most excavated examples are barely attributable.