Ave! 

Roman Judaea, Valerius Gratus Roman Prefect, Time of Jesus 

Judaea, Valerius Gratus, Roman Prefect Under Tiberius, 15 - 26 A.D.

Æ Prutah; 15mm/1.5gm   Jerusalem mint, ca 16-17 AD

Con/ Crisp strikes, clear legend and lily flower, jet black patina; off-center on the obverse and minor roughness, otherwise, Very Fine.

Obv/ IOY/ΛIA (Greek: Julia) in two lines within wreath.

Rev/ Three formal lilies in bloom springing from a single base, L - Γ (year 3 of Tiberius) divided across field.

Ref/ Hendin 6364, Meshorer TJC 321, Sofaer pl. 219, 18; BMC Palestine p. 253, 16 & pl. XXVIII, 11; RPC I 4961

Seller's Note/ Julia on the obverse, refers to Livia, wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberius. Livia took the name Julia Augusta after Augustus died. In the book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and its derived films, Gratus is almost killed by a tile accidentally dropped by Judah Ben-Hur. This prompts all subsequent events of the story. In the novel Gratus is portrayed as a corrupt governor who acted against Ben-Hur's family in order to enrich himself.