The First Jewish Shekels. 339 



so that the date on the coin issued by Annius Rufus, and bear- 

 ing the Actian date, " year 39/' corresponds to the year 8 a.d. 

 The type of the obverse of this coin (Fig. 6) is a palm tree, 

 with the inscription KAI^APO^ (of Cassar), implying money 

 of Cassar. The palm tree, which we find here acknowledged 

 by the Roman authorities as the national symbol of Judaea, we 

 shall afterwards find used as a principal type on the coins 

 issued by the revolted Jews in the reign of Nero, and again 

 on those issued during the great revolt in the time of Hadrian. 

 The first procurators of Judasa were not allowed a very length- 

 ened enjoyment of office, and in the year 26 or 27 a.d., Gratus, 

 the fifth procurator, was superseded by Pontius Pilatus, who 

 was appointed by Tiberius, in the year 27 A.D., and held the 

 office for ten years. . The provincial coins issued by these 

 successive procurators may be assigned to each by the aid of 

 the Actian date, and specimens bearing Actian dates between 

 the years 58 and 68 of that era may be considered to have been 

 issued under the auspices of Pontius Pilate. Pilatus, as is well 

 known, was deposed for peculation and other abuses of power, 

 in the last year of the reign of Tiberius, 37 a.d., and died in 

 exile. 



Herod Antipas had continued tetrarch of Galilee and Perasa, 

 after his father's expulsion from Judasa, and it was in conse- 

 quence of his being accidentally in Jerusalem, then entirely 

 under Roman rule, that Christ was sent before him as belonging 

 to his jurisdiction, on account of his supposed Galilean origin. 

 It was also Herod Antipas who ordered the execution of John 

 the Baptist, because he had blamed his unlawful marriage with 

 Herodias. After the accession of Caligula, in 37 or 38 a.d., 

 Antipas went to Rome to solicit the empty title of king, which 

 had just been conferred on his nephew, Herod Agrippa. But 

 Agrippa, who had been brought up in Rome, was a great 

 favourite with the Emperor, whose youthful companion he had 

 been, and who, therefore, unjustly conferred upon him the 

 dominions of his uncle Antipas, in addition to the tetrarchies 

 which had already been conceded to him, while Antipas was 

 banished to Spain, and died in exile. Small copper coins are 

 attributed to Antipas, most of which bear the title of tetrarch. 



Herod Agrippa (in the year 37 A.d.) received from Caligula 

 the tetrarchies of Philippus and Lysanias, with the title of king; 

 and afterwards the tetrarchies of Galilee and Perasa. On the 

 death of Caligula. Agrippa, being in Rome at the time, greatly 

 aided in placing Claudius upon the imperial throne, and obtained 

 in return the provinces of Judasa and Samaria as additions to 

 his kingdom, which thus became more extensive than that 

 of Herod the Great, while at his request the little district of 

 Chalcis was conferred upon his brother Herod, also with the 



