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

[Topcat7]

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

Edited August 31, 2022 by Topcat7

[JayAg47]

I bought the same variety (same king, same dimensions) just this week after looking for one of those big bronzes, I'll post it after I receive the coin.

[Magnus Maximus]

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!

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 

 

 

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 August 27, 2022 by Magnus Maximus

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

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:

 

 

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

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

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;

 

 

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.

 

 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Nice Antiochus, Magnus Maximus. I picked up a nice one at a remainder sale of Alex Malloy, a couple of decades back.  It was my most pedigreed coin, coming from one of the 'robber barons', I forget which without digging up the coin.  Ex; Boston? museum.

[Ryro]

Way to go and nice Timeline!

I picked up this 40 mm 47 gr chonker last year:

[kapphnwn]

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. HansenThis 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