Ptolemaic Kings of Egypt. Ptolemy III. 246-222 BC.
Ptolemaic Kings of Egypt. Ptolemy III. 246-222 BC.
Paphos. AE Trihemiobol, 18.23g (26mm, 11h). Diademed head of Zeus Ammon to right, with ram's horn in his hair and over the diadem / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠTOΛEMAIOY Statue of Aphrodite standing facing on base, holding lotus blossom in her right hand and poppies or myrtle branches in her left.
Pedigree: From the Rhakotis Collection, formed in the 1960s and 1970s (with collector’s ticket)
References: Lorber CPE ("Coins of the Ptolemaic Era") B447. SNG Copenhagen 644. Svoronos 1005, pl. xxx, 15-16.
Grade: Pretty uniform patina. Minor doubling on the reverse, otherwise, good VF. (gk1534)
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Ptolemy III Euergetes (“benefactor”) was the grandson of Ptolemy I. His mother and father were Arsinoe II and Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Egypt was most prosperous under Ptolemy III’s reign. Ptolemy earned his nickname Euergetes by his generosity bestowed on the Egyptian people. He supported their local cults and also when grain levels were low provided the necessary levels.
Ptolemy is also responsible for the first of the bilingual decrees known. In fact, his stela known as the Canopis stela has three languages: Egyptian hieroglyphs, demotic and Greek. The inscription on this decree details the 238 BC assembly of priests that took place in Canopus. The decree honored Ptolemy III, his wife and his daughter.
The type and style of this coin is a departure from the typical Zeus/Eagle imagery found in the Ptolemaic Kingdom.