Ptolemaic Kingdom. Ptolemy VI Philometor AV Octodrachm

Ptolemaic Kingdom. Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 BC) or Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II (145–116 BC). In the name of Arsinoe II Philadelphus. AV Octodrachm (28 mm, 27.31 g). Alexandria, circa 180–116 BC.

Obv. Diademed and veiled head of the deified Arsinoe II right; in left field, K.

Rev. ΑΡΣΙΝΟΗΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΥ. Double cornucopiae filled with fruit, bound with fillets.

Refs: Svoronos 1499 and pl. 51, 21; SNG Copenhagen 322; Boston MFA 2293.

This massive gold mnaieion or octodrachm, struck at Alexandria, belongs to the celebrated series of posthumous issues honouring Queen Arsinoe II Philadelphus. Introduced by her brother and husband Ptolemy II after her deification in 270 BC, the type continued for more than a century under successive rulers, each perpetuating the cult of Arsinoe as a guarantor of dynastic legitimacy.

The obverse shows the queen diademed and veiled, her features rendered in serene Hellenistic style. On the reverse, the double cornucopiae symbolises the prosperity of Egypt under Ptolemaic rule, its fillets recalling ritual associations with fertility and abundance. The inclusion of the control mark K aids in placing this piece among the later emissions of the 2nd century BC.

These impressive gold issues, valued at one mina (100 drachms), were among the largest regular gold coins of antiquity and testify to the extraordinary wealth of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Their continued production into the reigns of Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII underscores the enduring prestige of Arsinoe II’s cult as a dynastic emblem.