Catalog
Prutah - Augustus Coponius as Prefect
| Issuer | Roman Administration of Judea |
|---|---|
| Year | 5-6 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays a single upright ear of barley or wheat, depicted in fine relief with naturalistically rendered grain head and lateral leaves extending from a straight stalk. The legend ΚΑΙCΑΡΟC (meaning 'of Caesar') is arranged in Greek characters around the device within a dotted border, referencing the authority of the Roman emperor Augustus. The design is characteristic of the restrained, Jewish-sensitive iconographic program employed by the Roman prefects of Judea, who deliberately avoided figurative imagery. The flan is irregular and slightly convex, typical of the locally struck hammered bronze coinage of the period. |
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| Mint | Jerusalem Mint |
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Coponius was the first Roman prefect of Judaea following the deposition of Archelaus in 6 CE, and these small bronzes were struck under his administration almost immediately after the province came under direct Roman rule. The timing is precise: the coins align with the census of Quirinius, the same registration that triggered the revolt of Judas of Galilee recorded by Josephus.
The issue deliberately avoided imagery offensive to Jewish religious sensibility — a calculated administrative decision that Roman minting policy in Judaea maintained inconsistently across successive prefects.