Ptolemy II Silver Tetradrachm

Ptolemy II Philadelphus: Builder of Wonders

Ptolemy II (283–246 BC) inherited the wealthiest of Alexander's successor kingdoms and transformed Alexandria into the intellectual capital of the ancient world. He completed the Great Library, commissioned the Lighthouse (one of the Seven Wonders), and established the Museion where Euclid, Archimedes, and Eratosthenes would work.

This Coin

This silver tetradrachm shows the portrait of Ptolemy I (his deified father) on the obverse — a common practice in Ptolemaic coinage. The reverse features an eagle standing on a thunderbolt, the royal symbol of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Struck to a reduced weight standard unique to Egypt, these coins circulated in a closed monetary system — foreign coins had to be exchanged at Ptolemaic banks.