“Crucifixion Coins” of Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate minted two distinct coins over a very significant period of three years. 

29AD Prutah with a simpulum on the obverse and three ears of barley on the reverse.  The simpulum was a utensil used by the non-Jewish Roman priests during their religious ceremonies and use of this image was in disrespect to the Jewish community that the coins were dispersed.   This coin was the first coin in Jewish culture to use images of barley.

30-31AD Prutah with a symbol of a lituus, a curved wooden staff or wand, was used by Roman priests to raise toward the heavens to invoke the Gods.  Roman history records that Romulus used the lituus at the time of Rome’s foundation in 753 B.C.   Like the simpulum on the earlier coin, the lituus image was in disrespect to the Jewish community that the coins were dispersed.    The laurel wreath on the reverse was a symbol of power and victory and was commonly used on many ancient Greek and Roman coins. 

Coins with the date LIZ within the wreath were minted in 30AD, the year of Christ’s crucifixion, this coin is often referred to as the Crucifixion Coin.    The following year coin was dated LIH, sometime looking like LIM.