Prutah - Tiberius Pontius Pilate as Prefect

Struck under Pontius Pilate during his tenure as prefect of Judaea (26–36 AD), this prutah is one of three distinct types issued in his name — all deliberately provocative. Unlike his predecessors, Pilate chose symbols associated with Roman imperial cult and augural office, a decision that repeatedly inflamed the Jewish population and generated formal complaints to Rome. The specific issue of 29–30 AD corresponds to the period of maximum tension in his administration, years before Tiberius ultimately ordered his recall following the massacre of Samaritan pilgrims.