Antonius Felix Prutah

Obverse Legend (Greek)

NEPΩNero — The young Nero, Claudius's adopted son and future emperor

KΛAYKlaudios — Claudius, the reigning emperor's name

KAICAPKaisar — Caesar, the Greek form of the imperial title

Obverse Image

Two oblong shields crossed with two spears — Roman military symbols. Unlike most Roman coins, Judaean procurator coins avoided portraits out of respect for Jewish religious law prohibiting graven images.

Reverse Legend (Greek)

BPITBrit(annicus) — Britannicus, Claudius's natural-born son

KAIKai(saros) — "Of Caesar," indicating the date in Claudius's reign

L IΔYear 14 — The 14th regnal year of Claudius = AD 54

Reverse Image

A palm tree — a symbol deeply associated with Judaea. Palm trees appeared on Judaean coins for centuries and later became the Roman symbol for the conquered province.

Historical Context

Antonius Felix served as Roman procurator of Judaea from AD 52 to 58, appointed by Emperor Claudius. He was a freedman — a former slave — which was extraordinary for a provincial governor. The historian Tacitus wrote that Felix "exercised the power of a king with the spirit of a slave." Felix is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (chapters 23–24) as the governor who heard the case of the Apostle Paul and kept him imprisoned for two years. His small bronze prutah coins, struck in Jerusalem, circulated alongside the denarii of the emperors and were the everyday currency of ordinary people in Judaea. This coin names both imperial heirs on opposite sides — Nero (adopted) and Britannicus (natural-born). Within a year of this coin being struck, Claudius was dead and Nero became emperor. Britannicus was then poisoned, likely on Nero's orders.