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PTOLEMY IV Philopator, 244 B.C. - 204 B.C. (Recent acquisition)


Topcat7

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Ptolemy IV Philopator: King of the Ptolemaic Empire, Ruled from 222 to 204.

Relatives

         Father: Ptolemy III Euergetes

         Mother: Berenice II

         Wife: (his sister) Arsinoe III

         Son: Ptolemy V Epiphanes

Main deeds

        244: Born

         Already as a young man, he is called Philopator, "the man who loves his father"

        February 222: Succeeds his father. Many relatives are killed (including his mother)

by his ministers Agathocles and Sosibius

         221: First skirmishes of the Fourth Syrian War: Antiochus III (The Great) attacks the Ptolemaic possessions in Syria

         220: Ptolemy marries his sister Arsinoe III

         219: Antiochus reconquers Seleucia (the port of Antioch, which had been conquered by Ptolemy III in the Third Syrian War) and proceeds to the south

         13 June 217: Ptolemy's army defeats the Seleucid army at Raphia with an army that consists partly of native Egyptian soldiers

        October 217: Peace is concluded; the Seleucid Empire keeps Seleucia. In Egypt, the victory is attributed to Isis and Serapis.

         Revolts in Egypt; the Nubians conquer the Dodecaschoenus.

        9 October 210: Birth of Ptolemy V

         October/November 206: Revolt of Horwennefer / Ankhwennefer in Thebes

        29 November 205: Ptolemy V is made co-ruler

        July or August 204: Death; Arsinoe is assassinated

 

 

 

Credit:-   E.R. Bevan, The House of Ptolemy (1927), chapter 7.

 

I saw this coin for sale, by a dealer, without an attribution. Curiosity caused me to 'research' it and I believe it to be:-

Ptolemy IV Alexandria Cornucopia Series 5, Drachm

REf: Svoronos 1126 Lambda Iota

(And did I mention it is AE42mm., and 70 gm?)

I had to get it.

It is not in 'great' condition, and has been damaged (overcleaned?) at some time in it's story

Magical_Snap_-_2022.08.26_17.02_-_132-removebg-preview (1).png

Edited by Topcat7
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Nice coin!

I'd wager to say that Ptolemy IV was the last king of Ptolemaic Egypt who was worth a damn. After his rule, the lazyniess and luxury that would define the Dynasty really began to set in. 

I dont have any coins of Ptolemy IV, however here are a few of his Seleucid counterpart: Antiochus III Megas!
image00085.jpg

Antiochus III. 223-187 BC. AR Tetradrachm 16.97 Grams Seleucia on the Tigris. First Reign, Before the Revolt of Melon, Ca. 223-221 BC. Diademed head of Antiochus III right / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ on right, ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ on left, Nude Apollo seated left on omphalos, slight drapery on right thigh, holding arrow in right hand, left hand resting on bow, Control marks in outer left and right fields and in exergue. Rare 

 

 

horimg.jpeg

Syria, Antiochus III; 223-187 BC. Antioch on the Orontes, Series I, c. 223-211/10 BC, Tetradrachm, 16.96g. SC-1042.1; Newell WSM-1051. Obv: Diademed head of Antiochus III r., with youthful features, no sideburn, hair in bangs over forehead, dotted border. Rx: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ on r., ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ on l., Apollo, slight drapery on r. thigh, seated l. on omphalos, testing arrow and resting l. hand on grounded bow with grip marked by row of pellets; control marks in outer l. field.. EF / VF 

Edited by Magnus Maximus
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Welcome to the wonderful world of large and heavy coins!  I got a really nice HUGE one from Sphinx, some years ago at a coin show.

Of the photographed ones, some random ones, all Ptolemy IV:

 

54652q00.jpg.acab6f7f03e304d2787ae05fed6e0f97.jpg

 

Ptolemy IV - AE Hemidrachm - Sv. 974 38.4 mm. 42.893 g.  sea green patina

42316q00.jpg.1eeb114db5e418295fbfd16be155c03e.jpg

Ptolemy IV - AE Tetrobol - Sv 1148 - 37mm 47.3g

42291q00.jpg.3f8cd85132b394cf8155ad7903fe0705.jpg

GB42291. Bronze AE 36, Svoronos 1148 (Kyrene); SNG Cop 207; Weiser 97 (Ptolemy V, 204 - 202 B.C.); Noeske 151; BMC Alexandria p. 75, 75 (Ptolemy V), F, Alexandria mint, weight 43.430g, maximum diameter 35.9mm, die axis 0o, obverse horned head of Zeus Ammon right, wearing taenia; reverse ΒΑΣΙΛΩΣ ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings open, head turned back right, ΣΕ between eagle's legs;

 

 

42313q00.jpg.b558ceff270f5b2da955f950b4aa0d2f.jpg

GB42313. Bronze AE 40, Svoronos 974 (Ptolemy III); SNG Cop 224 - 226; Weiser 91 - 92; BMC Ptolemies, p. 66, 37; Noeske 155 ff., F, Alexandria mint, weight 36.094g, maximum diameter 39.1mm, die axis 0o, obverse head of Zeus Ammon right, wearing taenia; reverse ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ, eagle standing half left on fulmen, wings closed, head right, filleted cornucopia ascending behind from shoulder, E between legs;

Forum notes: Although the diameter is normal, this coin is extraordinarily light for the issue which is normally about 45 grams. We did not find another published example under 40 grams and many are over 50 grams.

 

 

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This one is very small Ae Dichalkon of Ptolemy IV Alexandria 221-214 BCObv Head of Zeus Ammon right.  Rv Eagle standing left on thunderbolt wings folded.  CPE This coin illustrated 2.29 grms 15 mm Photo by W. HansenSv994a-3ptIV.jpg.9f90d52370282daa6937495c565e93aa.jpgThis tiny little coin circulated alongside those big Ptolemaic cartwheels. At the time of purchase this type was unpublished, however later it was included in the corpus of the Ptolemaic coinage published by Lorber 

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