Just an incredible piece of ancient art. And WE KNOW WHO MADE IT! The Hellenistic artist Sophilos, in about 200 BC.
Berenike II (wife of Ptolemy III) is shown as the personification of Alexandria.
Dr. Joann Fletcher writes: “her ship's prow crown and anchor-shaped brooch emphasised her key role in naval successes during her joint reign with husband Ptolemy III."
The papyrus fragment dates to 285-280 BCE. For any non-papyrology nerds out there, that’s HELLA HELLA EARLY for Greek papyri — I think our very earliest we have at all are from c.300.
This show that pretty much as soon as Greek became a common administrative / elite language in Egypt, the Odyssey was there too. Which makes sense! Homer was quintessential to the education curriculum of any Greek speaker.
What’s interesting to you about the period / place?
What do you want to know more about?
In short, what about Ptolemaic Egypt led you here?
I’ll start: I love Ptolemaic Egypt because of the sheer number of Greek papyri preserved, which give us a MUCH BETTER window into daily life than almost anywhere else in the ancient world!
Such a beautiful example of the combination of Egyptian and Greek styles in the early Ptolemaic period!
From the British Museum:
"The 'nemes' headdress, plain at the top but ribbed on the lappets, and the uraeus identify the subject as a ruler. The mouth has drill holes in the corners, forcing the lips into a wide smile. The wide, fleshy nose, cheeks and chin are representative of portraits of the Thirtieth Dynasty and Ptolemaic periods, but the slightly raised eyebrows are carved in a more naturalistic manner than those on Late Period sculpture. The large, fleshy ears are also characteristic of Ptolemaic portraiture."
Photo by the British Museum.
Hi! I was really attracted by the profile of Ptolemy I on this coin from 143/142 BC, even though the quality of Ptolemaic coin emissions are supposed to decline over time. This coin is not found in Svoronos but has references 2127-30 in Julien Olivier's thesis from 2012 (in French). Olivier also ascertains that it was minted in Paphos and not in Alexandria: Alexandria coins from that time period also harbor the ΠA sign with the same reign year (RY 28), but have marked stylistic differences and correspond to Svoronos 1503.
The coin is also matching with a coin from the BNF in Paris:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8508906c
and with this sale (where the references indicated are wrong):
https://www.numisbids.com/sale/7744/lot/273
Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II (Physcon) AR Tetradrachm. Dated RY 28 (143/2 BC). Paphos mint. Diademed head of Ptolemy I to right, wearing aegis / BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ, eagle standing to left on thunderbolt, with wings closed; L KH (date) to left, ΠA to right. Svoronos -; CPE II 1468; SNG Berry 1498. 13.26gr, 25mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Lustrous metal with an attractive old cabinet tone. Minor flan crack at 4h; edge chipped. Very rare example.
I am so glad (and lucky) to be in possession of such an emblematic coinage, the first representation of a deified Alexander with both the horns of Ammon and the elephant headdress. Athena Alkidemos, the tutelary goddess of Pella, on the reverse to ascertain the Macedonian heritage. And the eagle on fulmen, the personal device of Ptolemy I. Catherine Lorber has narrowed quite convincingly the emission of this specific issue to c. 305, very close to the point of transition from the Attic to the reduced standard (15.70g).
PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy I Soter. As Satrap, 306-300 BC. AR Tetradrachm (15.59 g). Obverse die signed by the artist D. Alexandria mint. Struck in the name of Alexander III of Macedon, circa 310-305 BC. Diademed head of Alexander right, wearing elephant's skin; small Δ to right of elephant's ear / Athena Alkidemos advancing right; Helmet and eagle to right. CPE63, Svoronos 168. VF/XF.
Book is "a reassessment of Ptolemaic state intervention in industry and trade, an issue central to the economic and political history of Hellenistic Egypt."
Published by Cambridge University Press.