Ptolemaic Kingdom. Ptolemy II Philadelphos, 285–246 BC. AV Octodrachm

Ptolemaic Kingdom. Ptolemy II Philadelphos, 285–246 BC. In the name of Arsinoe II. AV Octodrachm (27 mm, 27.75 g). Alexandria, circa 252–249 BC.

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

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

Refs: Svoronos 460; SNG Copenhagen 134; CPE 388.

Struck shortly after the death and deification of Arsinoe II, this majestic gold octodrachm (mnaieion) was part of one of the most impressive dynastic coinages of the Ptolemaic age. Arsinoe, sister and wife of Ptolemy II, was elevated after her death in 270 BC to the status of a goddess, and her posthumous portrait became a dynastic emblem of legitimacy and prosperity.

The obverse shows her veiled and diademed, emphasising her dual role as both queen and goddess. The reverse, with the celebrated double cornucopiae, proclaims the fertility and abundance of Egypt under Ptolemaic rule. The Θ control mark identifies the specific emission within the carefully regulated Alexandrian mint system.

The mnaieion represented a very high denomination coin, likely used in major state payments, temple donations, and dynastic largesse. The continued issue of Arsinoe’s portrait coinage well into later reigns demonstrates how her deified image became a cornerstone of the dynasty’s ideological programme, linking successive rulers back to the glory of the early Ptolemaic house.

Provenance: Ex Maison Palombo, Sale 5 (2008), lot 48.