Ptolemy X Alexander I & Cleopatra Berenice, 101-88 BC

Ptolemy X Alexander I and Cleopatra Berenice, tetradrachm, AR, joint reign 101–88 BC, Alexandria mint, 101–88 BC, 9.98 g, 27 mm. Obverse with diademed head of Ptolemy I Soter right, with idealized royal portraiture consistent with Alexandrian Ptolemaic tetradrachm issues. Reverse with eagle standing left on thunderbolt, head turned, accompanied by the legend ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ in the fields. Struck on a broad flan with clear central devices and legible legend, showing typical Ptolemaic Alexandrian fabric. References: Svoronos 1682; SNG Copenhagen 371.

This Alexandrian tetradrachm belongs to the late Ptolemaic monetary system, in which silver tetradrachms formed the principal large-denomination coinage used for state payments and major commercial transactions within Egypt. The continued use of the portrait of Ptolemy I on the obverse reflects the dynasty’s emphasis on legitimacy through founder imagery, maintained even during periods of internal dynastic conflict and changing co-regencies in the 1st century BC.