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Valerius Gratus served as procurator of Roman
occupied Judea from 15-26 A.D. Appointed by
Emperor Tiberius, his service, lasting almost a
dozen years, was the longest reign of any Roman
procurator in Judea. It was during this period
that the seeds of growing Jewish unrest were
sown, and Jesus worked as an obscure carpenter
in Galilee. As the procurator, Valerius was in
charge of the religious affairs of his subjects, the
Jews, which included appointing the high priests
to the Temple. Valerius issued coins during the
majority of the duration of his service. His coins,
like all those minted by Roman procurators (with
the exception of Pontius Pilate), featured no
symbols that were utterly abhorrent to the Jews.
Two of his favored symbols were the palm
branch, a traditional symbol for the abundance
of Judea that was also utilized by the Roman for
their “Judea Capta” series commemorating the
occupation of ancient Israel, and grapes or the
grape vine, an important staple of the Judean
economy that also had a religious significance as
a ritual offering.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long
forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural details that are often lacking
in contemporary machine-made currencies. The
struggle of the Jewish people to rule their
homeland, as represented by this coin, has finally
come to an end in modern times. This coin
reconnects us with the past, with those who
fought and struggled for their freedom against an
oppressive Empire almost two thousand year
ago.
- (C.0796)
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