A Bronze 8 Prutot Coin of Herod The Great, 37-4 BC
Certainly King Herod is one of the most well known figures of antiquity. From the Bible, the writings of Josephus and numerous ancient sources a wealth of information has come down to us about him. Though the Bible paints him as a villain, he presided over the golden age of Judaean power and engineered enormous building projects including the Second Temple, the port of Caesarea, the fortress of Masada and numerous other projects. A passionate, learned and ruthless man, he ruled for 33 years before dying of disease in 4 BC.
The Judaean kings were not allowed to mint gold or silver coins by the Romans. Herod minted several types of bronze coins during his reign of which the present example is the largest and finest. Often poorly struck this example is unusual in that both obverse and reverse types are clear with nearly all of the legend readable. Obverse: Tripod-lebes on stand; to left, Greek letters LG = Year 3 since the proclamation of his reign in Rome (= 37 BC); to right a monogram; all surrounded by Greek legend BASILEUS HERODOY = 'King Herod'. Reverse: Head-dress with palm branches and star above. Mean Diameter: 24mm. (0.94"). Weight: 8.45 gm. (0.264 Troy oz.). Metal composition: Bronze with dusty green patina. References: Hendin. #39; Sear, Greek Imperial Coins, #5523. Grade: Very Fine. Price US$750. Status: Available. Order #C004.
Click Here For How To Order
[COINS] [HOME]