Ptolemy II Philadelphos, Silver Tetradrachm

Ptolemy II Philadelphos, Silver Tetradrachm

Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemy II Philadelphos (285-46 BCE), Silver Tetradrachm, Sidon (Lebanon) mint, 250/49 BCE.
OBVERSE: Diademed head of Ptolemy I Soter (305-285 BCE) in dotted border; two bankers' marks in right field (flying bird and Tu’ret, the Egyptian goddess of childbirth).
REVERSE: In dotted border, eagle with closed wings standing on a fulmen (thunderbolt); overstruck on similar die. Inscribed (PT)OLEMAIOU SWTHROS (= Ptolemaiou Soteros, "of Ptolemy the Savior"). Mint-marks in left field: SI (= Sidon) and DI; date in right field: LC (year 36 = 250 BCE).

Ptolemy II Philadelphos was the first of the Ptolemy’s to adopt the title of Pharaoh. This was not the only custom he acquired from the Egyptians as he also married his sister, a practice that was usually taboo among the Greeks. Similar to what Antiochus II of the Seleucids did with his father (Antiochus I), Ptolemy II used the image of his father, Ptolemy I (305-285 BCE) to highlight the stability of his newly inherited nation.

The head of his father is decorated with a royal diadem, a symbol of kingly power. Ptolemy I is also identifiable by the inscription soter, a title bestowed on the king by the Rhodians, who he had freed from a siege in 305 BCE.

The reverse of the coin shows an eagle holding a thunderbolt, the most recognizable symbol of Zeus. This reverse image was the standard among Ptolemaic coins.

There is a figurine of Tu’ret on view in the Mark and Janeth Sponenburgh Gallery, the ID number is 2004.069.003.

Gift of James and Aneta McIntyre, Hallie Ford Musuem of Art, Salem, OR. 2006.010.003

ca. 250-249 BCE

Hallie Ford Museum of Arts

2.630 cm
13.700 gr

Greek

This item can be viewed on the Hallie Ford Museum of Art's website.