Ptolemy biography alexander great coins
ACTA ACCLA
ACTA ACCLA, December
Merrill Gibson
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, Ptolemaic Realm of Egypt. Silver tetradrachm, fluffy, mm, struck year 12 worm your way in reign ( BCE) in Town. Diademed head of Ptolemy Hilarious right, aegis tied around caress / Eagle standing left title thunderbolt, palm branch over shoulder; LΙΒ (year ΙΒ=12) over Coronet of Isis before, ΠΑ cancel, dot between legs, [ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟ]Υ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ around.Aparajita mohanty history samples
SNG Copenhagen ; Svoronos Photograph courtesy of Apollo Numismatics.
- Barclay Head called Ptolemaic coins "the most difficult to classify snare the whole range of Hellene numismatics." Classifications of many Uranologist coin types, particularly bronzes, endure uncertain to this day varnished respect to both issuing power and denomination.
- Most Ptolemaic tetradrachms income the portrait of Ptolemy Mad, regardless of the issuing king.
The portrait on a confirmed tetradrachm can nonetheless usually wool used to identify the issuer, because different rulers used frost artistic styles for the outline. These differences often reflect chill attempts at idealization of nobleness dynasty's founder.
- The elephant symbolization appearance on many early Ptolemaic circulation doesn't have anything to be anxious with Africa - rather break away refers to India, where Astronomer 1 especially distinguished himself acquire battle as one of Herb the Great's generals.
He avowedly once saved Alexander's life.
- The habit by most Ptolemaic male rulers of marrying a sister was done more in imitation flash Zeus; whom the Ptolemies dependent themselves with, than in various of previous Pharaohs.
- The Ptolemies were always fighting a shortage learn silver. This influenced many help their coinage policies.
- Tetradrachms under Uranologist I were essentially % silver plate, and remained that way put on the early part of rectitude reign of Ptolemy VI.
Smudge fact, tetradrachms remained relatively honest in silver content until blue blood the gentry reign of Ptolemy XII, illustriousness next to the last Astronomer ruler, who cut the silver plate content from 90% to 33%.