Valerius Gratus Roman Prefect of Judaea Under Tiberius, 15-26 CE (NGC slab)(MG)

Weight/Dimensions: 42 g Grade Condition: (MG) Valerius Gratus was the Roman Prefect of Judaea province under Tiberius from 15 to 26 CE. He succeeded Annius Rufus and was replaced by P ontius Pilate. The government of Gratus is chiefly remarkable for the frequent changes he made in the appointment of the high-priesthood. He deposed Ananus, and substituted Ishmael ben Fabus, then Eleazar, son of Arianus, then Simon, son of Camith, and lastly Joseph Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Ananus. In the book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and its derived films, Gratus is almost killed by a roof tile which accidentally falls from the home of Judah Ben-Hur, which prompts all subsequent events of the story. This is a genuine ancient bronze prutah of the Roman province of Judaea, struck during the prefecture of Valerius Gratus. Obverse is a palm branch, reverse is a wreath.