Ptolemy II
Coin (Stater)
3rd century BC (made)
3rd century BC (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This coin is a octadrachm depicting four busts, two on each side. One side shows Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, King of Egypt and his wife and the other side Ptolemy I, Soter, King of Egypt and his wife. A drachm is the basic monetary unit in ancient Greece (and still today), originating from the word 'dragma', which means 'handful'. A drachm is a medium sized coin, weighing around 4 grams and with a diameter of about 1.6 to 1.9 cm. An octadrachm, as here, is an eight-drachm, which has roughly eight times the value of a drachm.
Greek coins were made by a crude form of striking, the rough blank of metal being placed between two dies engraved with the required image and the whole assemblage being hit with a hammer. Thus obverse and reverse were impressed simultaneously, sometimes with uneven results.
The coins bequeathed to the V&A by Salting include examples of silver coins from Syracuse of the 4th century BC, a set of gold imperial coins of Rome, and some fine specimens of bronze denarii of the Roman Empire.
Greek coins were made by a crude form of striking, the rough blank of metal being placed between two dies engraved with the required image and the whole assemblage being hit with a hammer. Thus obverse and reverse were impressed simultaneously, sometimes with uneven results.
The coins bequeathed to the V&A by Salting include examples of silver coins from Syracuse of the 4th century BC, a set of gold imperial coins of Rome, and some fine specimens of bronze denarii of the Roman Empire.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Ptolemy II (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gold |
| Brief description | Coin, octadrachm, gold, busts of Ptolemy II & Ptolemy I, Greek, 3rd century BC |
| Physical description | Obverse: Greek inscription.Busts jugate right of Ptolemy II, with whisker, wearing diadem and chlamys, and of his wife Arsinoe II, diademed and draped. Reverse: Greek inscription. Busts jugate right of Ptolemy I and his wife Berenice I, both diademed and draped. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | From the Salting bequest. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This coin is a octadrachm depicting four busts, two on each side. One side shows Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, King of Egypt and his wife and the other side Ptolemy I, Soter, King of Egypt and his wife. A drachm is the basic monetary unit in ancient Greece (and still today), originating from the word 'dragma', which means 'handful'. A drachm is a medium sized coin, weighing around 4 grams and with a diameter of about 1.6 to 1.9 cm. An octadrachm, as here, is an eight-drachm, which has roughly eight times the value of a drachm. Greek coins were made by a crude form of striking, the rough blank of metal being placed between two dies engraved with the required image and the whole assemblage being hit with a hammer. Thus obverse and reverse were impressed simultaneously, sometimes with uneven results. The coins bequeathed to the V&A by Salting include examples of silver coins from Syracuse of the 4th century BC, a set of gold imperial coins of Rome, and some fine specimens of bronze denarii of the Roman Empire. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.620-1910 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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