Ptolemy II AR Tetradrachm, Sidon, 285–246 BC, Eagle on Thunderbolt

Ptolemy II Philadelphos, Tetradrachm, Silver, reign 285–246 BC, minted 285–246 BC at Sidon; 14.15 g; 26 mm. Anepigraphic obverse with diademed head of Ptolemy I Soter right, wearing aegis. Reverse: ΠTOΛEMAIOY ΣΩTHΡOΣ; eagle standing left on thunderbolt; city abbreviation above monogram in left field, regnal year above monogram. Struck on the Phoenician standard at Sidon; die axis 12h. References: Lorber, CPE 545; Svoronos 755; SNG Copenhagen, cf. (not listed for this exact variety). This type belongs to the Ptolemaic dynastic coinage of Ptolemy II, who continued to issue silver tetradrachms in the name of his father Ptolemy I Soter to emphasize succession and legitimacy. Sidon served as a key Ptolemaic mint in Phoenicia during the kingdom’s control of Coele-Syria. The eagle on thunderbolt, a long-standing Ptolemaic emblem associated with Zeus, and the regnal-year and monogram system provide administrative data that anchor the coinage within the broader organization of the Ptolemaic monetary network.