Ptolemaic coinage

' bronze coin. Depression in center of the coin can be clearly seen both on obverse and reverse sides. Reverse shows a common Ptolemaic symbol, the eagle standing on a thunderbolt. The Ptolemaic Kingdom used Phoenician weight instead of the more common Attic weight. Artistically, Ptolemaic coinage closely followed contemporary Greek currencies. A commonplace symbol of the Ptolemaic dynasty is an eagle standing on a thunderbolt, first adopted by Ptolemy I Soter. The more peculiar Ptolemaic coinage include so-called "dynastic issues". Ptolemy II Philadelphus married his sister Arsinoe II, possibly to gain legitimacy in eyes of the local Egyptian population. Egyptian rulers had traditionally married their sisters to signify a connection to sacred union between the deities Osiris and Isis. A medal-like coin with one side portraying Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II, and the other side portraying Ptolemy I and Berenice I was struck after the death of Arsinoe II. She had significant posthumous influence on Egyptian religious life, and the ruling Greek dynasty was deified. In the coin making process, there were similarities with Seleucid coinage. For instance, Ptolemaic coins often have a central depression from the coin making process. ==Mints==

in 200 BC Coinage was used in the Ptolemaic Kingdom during the last dynasty of Egypt and, briefly, during Roman rule of Egypt. The first Ptolemaic mint was at Memphis. It was later moved to Alexandria. Tyre was the most important coastal city out of the five Ptolemaic cities with a mint in Syria. It is likely that the city struck silver coinage without an interruption after it changed hands, as it was a very important city in Phoenicia. Meanwhile, at Crete, there was no royal coinage in use, and Cretan cities had a strong autonomy of minting their own coins. There are no evidence that Ptolemaic mints existed in Asia Minor. Furthermore, regions such as Cilicia and Lycia had no autonomous mints striking local currency. It seems that there was little circulation of Ptolemaic currency in Caria, Lycia, Pamphylia and Cilicia. Local Pamphylian silver coinage was discontinued under Ptolemaic control. It is likely that people in southern Asia Minor simply did not have a habit of using coinage in everyday economic transactions. ==History==

Background of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his sister-wife Arsinoe II Silver was scarcer than gold in Egypt, and the exact ratio of their value is unclear. Silver was however probably shipped in significant quantities from abroad. In addition, Ptolemaic Cyprus produced some silver for coinage struck locally. Monetary isolation of Ptolemy I Soter, British Museum, London The Ptolemaic Kingdom did not use the Attic weight, or Attic standard, which was very common in other contemporary Hellenistic states such as the Seleucid Kingdom. Instead, the Ptolemaic Kingdom used Phoenician weight, which was smaller than the Attic weight. Consequently Ptolemaic coinage was smaller than coins used by other Hellenistic states. The kingdom also briefly utilized Rhodian standard in the transition process to the Phoenician weight. A possible reason for this very brief usage of the Rhodian weight in coinage may have resulted from strong commercial ties with the island of Rhodes. However, it is important to note that the Rhodian standard was lighter than Attic but heavier than Phoenician weight. As a result, the process shows a clear downward scale in size of the coinage. Despite this coincidence, political reasons and trade partnerships are still offering better explanations than a proposed theory that value of silver was in appreciation during Ptolemy I's reign. The minting of small denomination coins continued, for example coins with Ptolemy and Berenike. Minting of some local coins was allowed with the names of local magistrates. The Ptolemaic coins minted in Judea carried only the Hebrew letters YHD (Yehud), and no Greek lettering. The minting of Yehud coins stopped after the Ptolemaic period. The next coin series was minted only at the time of John Hyrcanus I with different legends. Substantial advances have been made in the study of Yehud and Samaria coins in the 21st century. Neighboring Seleucid Kingdom's policy was also not so strict in imposing the royal control on mints. In Egypt and Syria, Ptolemy I discontinued local coinage, which had Alexander the Great's image struck in them, after feeling secure in power. Roman era , the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Legend: ΒΑCΙΛΙCCΑ ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑ ΘΕΑ ΝEΩΤEΡΑ. After the demise of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, but silver coinage struck by the Ptolemies still continued to circulate. The Ptolemaic silver coinage had mostly disappeared by the time of Emperor Nero (AD 54-68), probably melted down and restruck as Roman provincial coinage. Under Roman control, Egypt retained the closed monetary system, as it had been under Ptolemies. Roman denarii and aurei did not circulate in provincial Egypt. ==See also==