Catalog
Diobol - Ptolemy II Ptolemais/Ake
| Issuer | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 266 BC - 261 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Diobol (⅓) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | An eagle with closed wings stands in left profile atop a thunderbolt, a standard Ptolemaic reverse type symbolising royal and divine authority. Above the eagle appears a double cornucopia (dikeras), sometimes depicted bound with a royal diadem, referencing the prosperity and legitimacy of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The monogram ΟΠΕ appears in the left field, serving as a mint or magistrate control mark associated with the Ptolemais/Ake mint. The Greek legend ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ, meaning 'of King Ptolemy', flanks the central device. The composition is contained within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ (Translation: King Ptolemy.) |
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| Additional information |
This bronze diobol belongs to a regionally distinct coinage struck at Ptolemais-Ake (modern Acre) during the Fourth Syrian War's immediate prehistory, when Ptolemy II was consolidating Levantine mints under unified Ptolemaic monetary policy. Ptolemais-Ake had been acquired by Ptolemy I and remained one of the kingdom's most strategically valuable coastal mints, serving garrison and commercial needs along the Phoenician coast.
Lorber's classification places this piece within a tightly defined sequence; the 338a designation reflects a specific die pairing rather than a broad type assignment.