Silver Tetradrachm of Ptolemy I, Alexandria - Egypt
Title
Silver Tetradrachm of Ptolemy I, Alexandria - Egypt
Subject
Coinage--Egypt--Alexandria
Description
Obv. bust of Ptolemy I with diadem r.; border of dots
Rev. (poor condition) eagle standing l. holding thunderbolts; unclear marks on either side, perhaps mint marks; at left ΠΤΟΛΕΜ[ΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ] (=PTOLEMAIOU BASILEOS)
Weight: 13.1g
Diameter: 24.7mm
Ptolemy I was a successful general of Alexander the Great, and in 330 BCE was named his sōmatophylax (bodyguard). In 317 BCE, he married Berenice I. In 304 BCE, he was named Soter, or savior, for his assistance to the people of Rhodes in the conflict against Antigonus I, a Macedonian king. Towards the end of his life, from 300 to 294 BCE, he made alliances with Thrace, Syracuse, Epirus, and Cyrene. He also took control of Cyprus, Tyre, and Sidon. From 288 to 286 BCE, as part of a coalition he freed Athens from Macedonian rule and took control of the League of Islanders. This would result in Egyptian naval control of the Aegean Sea for decades. In 285 BCE, he formally named his son, Ptolemy II, as his heir before his death in 283 or 282 BCE.
Rev. (poor condition) eagle standing l. holding thunderbolts; unclear marks on either side, perhaps mint marks; at left ΠΤΟΛΕΜ[ΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ] (=PTOLEMAIOU BASILEOS)
Weight: 13.1g
Diameter: 24.7mm
Ptolemy I was a successful general of Alexander the Great, and in 330 BCE was named his sōmatophylax (bodyguard). In 317 BCE, he married Berenice I. In 304 BCE, he was named Soter, or savior, for his assistance to the people of Rhodes in the conflict against Antigonus I, a Macedonian king. Towards the end of his life, from 300 to 294 BCE, he made alliances with Thrace, Syracuse, Epirus, and Cyrene. He also took control of Cyprus, Tyre, and Sidon. From 288 to 286 BCE, as part of a coalition he freed Athens from Macedonian rule and took control of the League of Islanders. This would result in Egyptian naval control of the Aegean Sea for decades. In 285 BCE, he formally named his son, Ptolemy II, as his heir before his death in 283 or 282 BCE.
Date
306/5-282 BCE
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