Catalog
1/2 Prutah - Herod the Great
| Issuer | Judea |
|---|---|
| Year | 40 BC - 4 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Hendin 5ᵗʰ#1190 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | An eagle is depicted standing to the right in the central field, its wings folded and its head in profile, a motif associated with Herodian royal authority and Hellenistic influence. The design is struck on a small, irregular bronze flan with characteristically flat and somewhat uneven relief. The field is plain with no additional legend or inscription. The crude workmanship is typical of this denomination and period of Judaean coinage. |
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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.