Valerius Gratus was the Roman Prefect of Judaea
province under Tiberius from 15 to 26 CE. He
succeeded Annius Rufus and was replaced by P
ontius Pilate. The government of Gratus is chiefly
remarkable for the frequent changes he made in the
appointment of the high-priesthood. He deposed
Ananus, and substituted Ishmael ben Fabus, then
Eleazar, son of Arianus, then Simon, son of Camith,
and lastly Joseph Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Ananus.
In the book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and its
derived films, Gratus is almost killed by a roof tile
which accidentally falls from the home of Judah
Ben-Hur, which prompts all subsequent events of the
story.
This is a genuine ancient bronze prutah of the Roman province of Judaea, struck during the prefecture of Valerius Gratus. Obverse is a palm branch, reverse is a
wreath.