Prutah - Tiberius Valerius Gratus as Prefect

Valerius Gratus served as prefect of Judaea from 15 to 26 CE, longer than any of his predecessors, and was responsible for appointing — and then removing — four consecutive high priests before settling on Joseph Caiaphas, who would hold the office through the prefecture of Pontius Pilate. These small bronzes were struck in Jerusalem, almost certainly at the authority of the prefect's administration, using imagery carefully selected to avoid the figural representations that provoked Jewish religious objection. The series spans at least three distinct types across the Hendin references, reflecting continuous small-denomination production across nearly a decade of his tenure.