Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 54 9 Dec 2020
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Ancient coins, Ptolemaic Egypt, Arsinoe II Philadelphos (318/314 BC – 270/268 BC), Octodrachm, Alexandra, struck c. 253-246 BC, veiled head right, rev. double cornucopia, grape bunches hanging at sides, bound with fillet, wt. 27.85gms. (sv.460; SNE cop. 134), about extremely fine, with Baldwin's ticket
*ex Classical Numismatic Review XXVI (Summer 2001), number 68;
ex Triton IX (10 January 2006), lot 1076.
This visually striking coin was minted under Arsinoe II. She was queen of Thrace and Macedonia, and co - ruled with her brother-husband King Ptolemy II Philadelphos. Their father, Ptolemy I Sotor, was a successor of Alexander the Great and the first in the Macedonian (Ptolemaic) Dynasty. When the pair wed, they were given the surname Philadelphos 'man who loves his sister' which acts as reference to the divine marriages of sibling gods, such as Isis and Osiris. It was not intended as a slur regarding their incest, but an emblem of their status.
(20000-25000 GBP)
*ex Classical Numismatic Review XXVI (Summer 2001), number 68;
ex Triton IX (10 January 2006), lot 1076.
This visually striking coin was minted under Arsinoe II. She was queen of Thrace and Macedonia, and co - ruled with her brother-husband King Ptolemy II Philadelphos. Their father, Ptolemy I Sotor, was a successor of Alexander the Great and the first in the Macedonian (Ptolemaic) Dynasty. When the pair wed, they were given the surname Philadelphos 'man who loves his sister' which acts as reference to the divine marriages of sibling gods, such as Isis and Osiris. It was not intended as a slur regarding their incest, but an emblem of their status.
(20000-25000 GBP)