Ptolemy III Euergetes or Ptolemy IV Philopator - 39.73 g AE 37.1 - Tetrobol

Ptolemaic Egypt produced some of the largest bronze coins ever struck in antiquity. Under the Ptolemies, bronze denominations reached sizes far beyond anything typical of the Greek or later Roman world, some issues approaching the dimensions of a modern silver dollar or larger. These massive bronzes served as a practical, high-value currency within Egypt's closed monetary system, and their sheer scale remains one of the most distinctive features of Ptolemaic coinage to collectors today.

This tetrobol was struck at Alexandria between 246 and 205 BC, a span covering the reigns of both Ptolemy III Euergetes, who expanded Ptolemaic power to its territorial height through his victories in the Third Syrian War, and his son Ptolemy IV Philopator, whose reign saw the kingdom's fortunes begin to decline; the type's long production window makes a definitive attribution between the two rulers uncertain. The obverse depicts the diademed head of Zeus Ammon facing right, wearing a taenia, the syncretic ram-horned form of Zeus closely associated with Egyptian Amun and central to Ptolemaic royal ideology. The reverse shows an eagle standing left on a thunderbolt, its head turned right with wings closed and a cornucopia at the shoulder, accompanied by an Epsilon between its legs and the Greek inscription ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ("of King Ptolemy"). It is catalogued as Svoronos 974, SNG Copenhagen 224–227, and Weiser 91.

Obverse: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing taenia

Reverse: Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, head right, wings closed, cornucopia at shoulder, Epsilon between legs

Catalogues: Svoronos 974, SNG Copenhagen 224-227, Weiser 91

Mint Info: Alexandria, 246-205 BC

Mass: 39.73 g

Diameter: 37.1 mm