Prutah - Augustus Marcus Ambivulus as Prefect

Marcus Ambibulus served as Roman prefect of Judaea under Augustus from roughly 9 to 12 CE, and these small bronzes are among the few material traces of his administration. The office of prefect was a deliberately second-tier appointment — equestrian rank, not senatorial — reflecting Rome's calculation that Judaea required tight fiscal and military control without the prestige trappings that might inflame an already restive population. Hendin distinguishes three varieties by the ear of barley and palm tree reverses, with subtle die differences separating 1329, 1330, and 1331 that remain contested among specialists.