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Coins of Pontius Pilate

Small bronzes with Roman priestly symbols, minted in Jerusalem under Pilate in 29–31 CE

Herod, Yeshua & Jerusalem's Fall · coin · Accepted by scholars · found 1900

Small bronze coin with a curved augur's staff
Photo: John D. Casnig · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Found 1900 — Known from 19th-century collections (Frederic Madden, 1864); found in every excavation of the period

Where Jerusalem mint; finds throughout Judea and Galilee (Israel)

Dates from 29/30–31/32 CE · Early Roman · Ministry and crucifixion of Yeshua

Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem; British Museum; widely held

Names a biblical person Tiberius (legends name Tiberius (and Julia), not Pilate; attribution by date)

How Coins of Pontius Pilate was found

Struck in Jerusalem by the Roman prefect in three years, dated by Tiberius' regnal years 16, 17 and 18. They circulated widely and remained in use for decades; examples have been found from Galilee to Masada.

What it is

Bronze prutot about 15 mm across. Year 16 (29/30 CE) shows a simpulum (Roman libation ladle) with 'of Tiberius Caesar' in Greek, and three ears of barley. Years 17 and 18 (30/31 and 31/32 CE) show a lituus (augur's curved staff) and a wreath with the date. Both are Roman religious implements — unlike earlier governors, who used only neutral designs.

Why it matters for the Bible

Pilate was the only governor of Judea to put Roman cultic symbols on coins Jews had to handle daily, which fits Josephus' and Philo's picture of a man who provoked Jewish sensitivities. These coins were in the pockets of the crowd at the trial of Yeshua, minted in the very years of his ministry. Similar coins turn up in odd places, including claims (disputed) of lituus-coin images on the Shroud of Turin.

The Hebrew word: mat-BEH-ah

מַטְבֵּעַ

מַטְבֵּעַ is pronounced mat-BEH-ah and means coin (rabbinic Hebrew, from tava, to stamp).

People this discovery connects to

Places

Events

Pilate's governorship · Trial of Yeshua

Coins of Pontius Pilate in Scripture

Matthew 27:2 First mention of Pilate in Scripture.

Luke 13:1 Pilate mingles Galileans' blood with their sacrifices — his abrasive style, echoed in the provocative coin designs.

Luke 23:1-4 The crowd brings Yeshua before Pilate — the governor who issued these coins in the same years.

Questions people ask

What is Coins of Pontius Pilate?
Bronze prutot about 15 mm across. Year 16 (29/30 CE) shows a simpulum (Roman libation ladle) with 'of Tiberius Caesar' in Greek, and three ears of barley. Years 17 and 18 (30/31 and 31/32 CE) show a lituus (augur's curved staff) and a wreath with the date. Both are Roman religious implements — unlike earlier governors, who used only neutral designs.

When was Coins of Pontius Pilate discovered?
It was found in 1900 by Known from 19th-century collections (Frederic Madden, 1864); found in every excavation of the period, at Jerusalem mint; finds throughout Judea and Galilee.

Where is Coins of Pontius Pilate today?
Israel Museum, Jerusalem; British Museum; widely held.

Which Bible verses does Coins of Pontius Pilate relate to?
Matthew 27:2, Luke 13:1, Luke 23:1-4.

Related discoveries

Sources

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