Catalog
Denarius - Ptolemy Caesarea
| Issuer | Mauretania |
|---|---|
| Year | 28 |
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| Currency | Denarius (25BC-40AD) |
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| Obverse description | Bare, diademed bust of Ptolemy of Mauretania facing right, youthful and beardless, with the diadem ties visible behind the neck. The effigy displays the Hellenistic portraiture style characteristic of the Mauretanian royal coinage. The circumferential Latin legend REX PTOLEMAEVS runs around the periphery of the flan, partially visible on this irregularly shaped hammered flan. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Ptolemy of Mauretania was the son of Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II — herself the daughter of Antony and Cleopatra — making him the last ruling descendant of both the Ptolemaic and Seleucid lines. His kingdom operated as a client state under Augustus and Tiberius, issuing coins in Roman denominations as a deliberate alignment with imperial currency practice. Caligula had him summoned to Rome and executed in 40 AD, allegedly over a jealous dispute about a purple cloak, extinguishing the dynasty and prompting Rome to annex Mauretania directly.
The SNG Copenhagen gap confirms no example was catalogued in that reference, making CNNM#455 the primary anchor for attribution.