Coin of Herod I
The Romans named Herod I (“the Great”) Judea’s king in 40 B.C. He took the throne in 37, ruling until 4 B.C. This eight-prutah coin was the largest denomination he minted; bread cost 10 prutahs per loaf. The bronze coin’s obverse features a helmet with chin straps. Above the helmet, two olive branches flank a star. The reverse, with date corresponding to 40 B.C., shows a tripod-mounted Greek ceremonial bowl. The surrounding Greek phrase means “of King Herod.” Herod, a Jew, oriented himself toward the influential Hellenic culture.
Matt 2:1–22, Luke 1:5, Acts 23:35
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