First purchases of 2021 - Two eagles, Zeus, and a King

As part of my new effort in expanding my collection of Ptolemaic coins, I acquired these two interesting (at least to me) pieces. The didrachm is a new years purchase, 1/1; the obol came later. The didrachm denomination is not as common as the usual tetradrachms, plus I loved the portrait and the other details of course, so I had to have it. As I read about Ptolemy VI and the fact that a court official ruling for him had struck coins with his own name on them, that intrigued me enough to want an example of one of these also, hence the acquisition of the obol (its pretty rough but from what I noticed, a scarce type).

Ptolemy VI, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AR didrachm
Obv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis
Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt
Mint: Alexandria
Date: 162-161 BC
Ref: Svoronos 1209




(not mine, sadly ; Ptolemy VI as a Greek king on left, him as Pharaoh on right)


Ptolemy VI Philomator ("the Mother-loving") was born in 186 BC, and was the eldest son of Ptolemy V and Cleopatra I. He became co-ruler along with his mother when his father died in 180 BC. A few years later, Cleopatra would also pass away. Two officials named Eulaios and Lenaios were appointed to rule in the young Ptolemy’s name. In 170 BC, his brother was crowned co-ruler, becoming Ptolemy VIII.

Ptolemy VI, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AE obol
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right
Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, lotus flower in left field, EYΛ (EUL=Eulaios) between legs
Mint: Salamis (Cyprus)
Date: 180-170 BC
Ref: Svoronos 1490



By the time of Ptolemy VI, the Ptolemaic Kingdom had already engaged in five previous wars with the Seleucid Kingdom. As with his predecessors, Ptolemy VI would also be drawn into conflict with them to decide the fate of Syria. After two years of war the Ptolemaic forces were utterly defeated, with Egypt itself being invaded twice. After the government of Eulaios and Lenaios was overthrown, Ptolemy VI was able to negotiate a humiliating peace with the Seleucids, then ruled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This led to his own overthrow and establishment of Ptolemy VIII as sole ruler of Egypt. The two brothers quickly reconciled and began preparation for a resumption of hostilities against the Seleucids, but the Seleucids quickly seized the initiative. It took diplomatic intervention by the Romans to end the war and prevent a Seleucid takeover of Egypt.

The failures and humiliation from the conflict led to increased tensions between the two co-rulers, and after Ptolemy VI’s suppression of the last native Egyptian rebellion in 164 BC, Ptolemy VIII expelled VI from Egypt. This was short-lived, however, when VIII himself was forced out of Alexandria by the populace, allowing VI to return. An agreement was reached where VIII was allowed to govern the Ptolemaic province of Cyrenaica. But for the next few years, the brothers would continue to feud on several occasions.

(Ptolemaic Egypt, 3rd-2nd centuries BC)


In the late 150s to the mid-140s BC, Ptolemy VI involved himself in the dynastic conflicts affecting the Seleucid Kingdom at this time, including by military force as he took several Seleucid cities along the Mediterranean coast allegedly in support of the claimant Alexander Balas; but in actuality it was a campaign of annexation. Ptolemy switched his support to Demetrius II after Alexander failed to punish an official of his that plotted to assassinate Ptolemy. Antioch was surrendered to him by its commanders, and Ptolemy was crowned "King of Egypt and Asia". He quickly disavowed and dropped the title, worried that a unification of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid realms would invite an invasion by the Roman Republic (by then a rising power in the Mediterranean). Ptolemy decided to merely retain the territory of Coele Syria, instead.

(Stele of a Ptolemaic thyreophoros soldier, circa 2nd century BC)



Soon after, in 145 BC, Ptolemy and Demetrius met Alexander and his forces at the Oenoparas River, and were able to force him to retreat to Arabia. During the battle, Ptolemy had been fatally wounded, and lingered until he passed away three days later. He was 41 years old. This allowed Demetrius to later retake the territory and cities lost to Ptolemy during the conflict. His death also enabled Ptolemy VIII to retake full control of Egypt.

(Mosaic of the Nile, Palestrina, circa 100 BC)


(all information and non-coin images sourced from Wikipedia)

Please post anything (coins, artifacts, etc.) relevant!

 

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Thanks for a great write up Valiant.

This will fit:

 

Great post! Here’s a big bronze struck under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (likely) in honor of his victories over Egypt. The style imitates large Ptolemaic bronzes.


Seleucid Kings of Syria, Antiochos IV Epiphanes, AE Hemidrachm (33 mm, 34.37 g), "Egyptianizing" series, with bevelled edges, struck in honor of Antiochos IV's victories over Egypt, Antioch, 169-168 BC. Laureate head of Zeus-Serapis to right; with Osiris cap upon taenia. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΣ Eagle standing right on thunderbolt.

 

another key player in your write up:

 

Excellent writeup, very informative and always nice to learn more history. Nice coins too, everyone.

 

Great write-up. I love that mosaic of the Nile! My one Ptolemaic coin happens to be of Ptolemy VI:

Egypt, Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemy VI Philometor [“Mother-loving”] (First reign, 180-164 BCE), AR Tetradrachm ca.180-170 BCE, Alexandria Mint. Obv. Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis / Rev. Eagle with closed wings standing left on thunderbolt, ΠTOΛEMAIOY on left, BAΣIΛEΩΣ on right. Seaby 7895 [Sear, David, Greek Coins & their Values, Vol. II: Asia & Africa (Seaby 1979)]; Svoronos 1489 (ill. Pl. 51a, Nos. 1-5) [Svoronos, J.N., Ta Nomismata tou Kratous ton Ptolemaion (Athens, 1904-08)] (see https://www.coin.com/images/dr/svoronos/svc001p209t.html [incorrectly attributed to Ptolemy VIII]); SNG Copenhagen 262-268 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Copenhagen, The Royal Collection of Coins and Medals, Danish National Museum, Part 40: Egypt: The Ptolemies (Copenhagen 1977)]; BMC 6 Ptolemaic Egypt 3 (p. 100) (ill. Pl. XXIV No. 5) [Poole, R.S., A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 6, Ptolemaic Kings of Egypt (London, 1883)]. 26 mm., 12.14 g.

 

Thank you for the write-up @ValiantKnight ; nice coins.

I recently bid on a Ptolemy VI didrachm, (it had a lovely portrait as well) but ended up having the second-highest bid. So, unfortunately, there's nothing to show. For now, all I have is this really beat-up example of Ptolemy I. Not particularly relevant to this thread, but it's as close as I can get.

ΠΤΟΛEΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛEΩΣ.

I like your Antiochus IV, @Shea19. A Seleucid coin in Ptolemaic style: a succinct yet eloquent way to sum up a long century of quarrel and warfare in a single coin! I wonder: does the reverse exist as well? A Ptolemaic coin in Seleucid style?

ps: can anyone explain why the legend on Ptolemaic coins is often rendered with ΠΤΟΛEΜΑΙΟΥ first and ΒΑΣΙΛEΩΣ second? Whereas on the coins of Lysimachos, Seleukos, and Alexander, to name a few examples, the ΒΑΣΙΛEΩΣ always comes first. Is it just convention or is there another, deeper reason I'm unaware of?

 

Hi @ValiantKnight,

Your didrachm is actually Svoronos 1209. You can see the top of the ‘PA’ on the thunderbolt between the eagle’s legs. The last draft I saw of Lorber’s post Ptolemy IV volumes has this as “Year PA (101) = 162/1 BCE” from an uncertain mint in the Levant. She noted “It is well known that these didrachms have been found only in Israel and Lebanon, and to a far lesser extent Syria.” There are dies studies for this series (oldest is Morkholm 1975-76) so you could probably even research the die pair used. This one is pretty nice. I’ll post mine when I get to my desktop.

- Broucheion

 

Real awesome coins posted, thanks everyone for your comments!

Appreciate the corrections! Meant to make a quick post right after I posted the thread asking for assistance in verifying the attribution for the didrachm, since I saw conflicting info as I was looking it up, but this had slipped my mind.

Also, is the mint city being Alexandria correct? It has no field marks/symbols/letters tying it to a specific mint, so I assumed that meant Alexandria. Or since this type has been only found in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, and the dating places it before Ptolemy’s final campaign in Syria, I wonder if it was perhaps struck in Cyprus and later these didrachms found their way to the mainland. Does Lorber identify any mint locations? Thanks for any additional help!

 

My only other coin of the didrachm denomination:

Antiochus VII, Seleucid Kingdom
AR didrachm
Obv: Diademed head of Antiochus right, within dotted border
Rev: ANTIOXOY-BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, palm over shoulder, A/PE above monogram of Tyre above club, ςOP (date) to right, monogram between legs
Mint: Tyre
Date: 137-136 BC
Ref: SC 2110.4a. HGC 9



And a bronze symbolizing the joint rule between Ptolemy VI and VIII:

Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AE diobol
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right
Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, two eagles standing left on thunderbolt, cornucopiae in left field
Mint: Alexandria
Date: After 169 BC
Ref: Svoronos 1424

(seller’s photo; I don’t have in-hand ones yet)

 

Hi @ValiantKnight,

Here's my coin (image from Timeline Auctions):



Regarding your questions, J Olivier (2012) conducted metallurgical analyses showing that the lead and copper content of the dated didrachm series matches the metallic signature of the dated Syro-Phoenician tetradrachms of Ptolemy II and III, and this persuaded him that the coins were struck in the region where they circulated. The latest thinking I know of places the making of these coins at an uncertain mint in Coele Syria, probably Hebron or possibly even Jerusalem. The didrachms of years 101-114 have findspots tightly concentrated around Hebron. Olivier proposed that the era didrachms represented financial support from Ptolemy Philometor for the Jewish revolt against Demetrius I of Syria from 162-152.

Lorber notes that a didrachm of the period 162/1-155/4, with the era date on and below the thunderbolt, occurred in a small hoard found in Lebanon, south of Saida, in 2010. The other contents were Seleucid "eagle" didrachms, the latest dated 129/8. This, so far, unique late hoard demonstrates that the era didrachms continued to circulate in the Seleucid province of Coele Syria and Phoenicia after the death of Ptolemy VI.

Lorber discusses circulation in the area, including finds of Sv-1209 in "The Circulation Of Ptolemaic Silver In Seleucid Coele Syria And Phoenicia From Antiochus III To The Maccabean Revolt: Monetary Policies And Political Consequences", ELECTRUM, Vol. 26 (2019): 9–23, doi: 10.4467/20800909EL.19.001.11204.

- Broucheion

 

Great coins @ValiantKnight and superb informative write-up. Thank You. One can see the increasing influence of Rome in international politics of the Near Eastern powers.

 

Very fascinating and helpful. Really appreciate your time in helping me out with this, @Broucheion . And a nice coin you posted!

 

For sure. When I read about Rome having intervened not once but twice during Ptolemy VI’s wars with the Seleucids I couldn’t help but think about how weak these once-powerful successor states of Alexander’s empire had become.

Also, here’s a related meme I recently made that perfectly captures the Roman threat, err... I mean, diplomacy

 

Wonderful coins and very fun writeup!
I had no idea ptolemy, the mother lover, had such a dynamic nose! I guess with generations of loose inbreeding we should expect as much.
Anyways, here's my mama's boy:

 

Hi @AussieCollector,

Sorry to say that’s not a Ptolemaic coin. I’m not sure where it’s from but many cities had Zeus/Eagle types. Maybe Sicily?

- Broucheion

 

Hi @AussieCollector,

Take a look at https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3070677 (Sicily, Akragas. ca. 213-210 B.C. AE 23).

- Broucheion