Jews.
During the reign of Pontius Pilate, however, relations between the Roman government and the Jewish inhabitants took a turn for the worse as history points out. (This period also witnessed the short ministry of Christ, and His trial and crucifixion in Jerusalem.) The coins of the later Herodian dynasty revealed a decline in adherence to Jewish religious beliefs. (The exploitation of coins for propaganda purposes is demonstrated especially by the Judea Capta coins, which the Romans struck in the Holy Land and in Rome to commemorate their victory over the Jews. A considerable variety of coin-types is dedicated to the celebration of single great triumph of the Flavian emperors (69-81 AD.)
REFERENCE TO COINS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT;
The monetory system of that period was based on two coexisting methods. The highest denomination gold and silver coins, such as the AURES, the TETADRACHM and the DENARIUS, were used to pay taxes. SHEKELS from the Jewish War or Tyrian SHEKELS were used for the HALF-SHEKEL contribution to the Temple. Bronze PRUTAHS struck by the Roman procurators were used for ordinary commercial purposes. Roman coinage began to circulate after Pompey’s conquest in 63 BC, as well as various Greek coinage, especially the Tyrian SHEKEL. The Roman silver DENARIUS rated 1/25 the value of the gold DENARIUS or AUREUS. The remaining coins were of bronze; the ASSARION, 1/16 to a DENARIUS; the KODRANTES, the ‘penny’, i.e the Roman QUADRANS = 1/4 to the AS; and the LEPTON, copper coin defined in the Book of Mark 12:42 as 1/2 QUADRANS. A DRACHMA, a silver coin, was roughly equal in value to a Roman DENARIUS, the ‘penny of the Gospels’ (Matthew 20:1-15) and (Luke 20:24). A TALENT (for which there was no Roman equivalent) that was