Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Hemichalkous - Ptolemy VI
| Issuer | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 176 BC - 170 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Bare head of Zeus Ammon facing right, depicted with the characteristic ram's horn of Ammon curling behind the ear, rendered in the Hellenistic portrait tradition. The facial features show a mature, bearded visage with wavy hair, exhibiting the syncretic blending of Greek and Egyptian divine iconography typical of Ptolemaic coinage. The flan is irregular with a pronounced green patina from extended burial. No legend or inscription appears in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Rough |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Ptolemy VI came to power as a child, with his mother Cleopatra I serving as regent until her death around 176 BC — precisely when this issue begins. The subsequent power struggle between Ptolemy VI and his younger brother, later Ptolemy VIII, destabilized the kingdom severely enough that Antiochus IV of Syria invaded twice, nearly absorbing Egypt entirely. Small copper fractions like this hemichalkous circulated at the absolute base of the monetary system, used for daily transactions that silver would never touch.
Svoronos 1408 places this type within a tightly grouped sequence of Ptolemy VI bronzes distinguished by fabric and module rather than dramatic design changes.