Catalog
Mnaieion - Arsinoe II Alexandria
| Issuer | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 254 BC - 252 BC |
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| Currency | Ptolemaic drachm (bronze reform of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, circa 265/260 – 204 BC) |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and veiled head of the deified Arsinoe II facing right, adorned with the ram's horn of Ammon at the temple, a symbol of her divine status. She wears a stephane over the veil, and a lotus-tipped scepter is depicted rising over her far shoulder, occasionally with a serpent coiled around its shaft. The portrait is rendered in the refined Hellenistic court style characteristic of Ptolemaic royal coinage. The entire design is enclosed within a dotted border. A control letter Theta (Θ) appears in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A double cornucopiae tied at the center with a royal diadem, the twin horns issuing abundant fruits including pyramidal cakes, pomegranates, and various seasonal produce, with a cluster of grapes suspended from the rim of each horn. The design is rendered with careful attention to naturalistic detail in the Hellenistic tradition, conveying themes of royal abundance and divine beneficence. The legend ΑΡΣΙΝΟΗΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΥ is inscribed in the field, identifying the coin as a posthumous issue in honor of the deified queen Arsinoe II Philadelphus. The entire composition is enclosed within a dotted border. |
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| Additional information |
Arsinoe II died around 268 BC, yet her brother-husband Ptolemy II continued striking gold coinage in her name for decades afterward — one of the earliest systematic posthumous cult coinages in the Greek world. The mnaieion denomination, worth one mina, had no real circulation function; these were prestige objects, issued to honor the deified queen and distributed at festivals associated with her cult. The sheer weight of gold involved made them more gift than currency.
Svoronos 460 places this among the early Alexandria issues of the series, before production spread to other Ptolemaic mints.