Catalog
Obol - Ptolemy II Philadelphus Cyrene
| Issuer | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 260 BC - 250 BC |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon facing right, rendered in the Hellenistic style characteristic of Cyrenaican Ptolemaic issues, with a prominent ram's horn curling behind the ear — the syncretic deity combining the Greek Zeus with the Egyptian Ammon. The hair is rendered in loose curls, and a diadem encircles the head. A dotted border surrounds the type within the irregular flan. |
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| Reverse description | Standing figure of Libya or a local deity presented in full, facing to the left in a draped garment, rendered in the Hellenistic style associated with the Cyrene mint. The royal legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ is disposed in the field to the left and right of the figure. A small symbol, possibly a silphium plant or floral device, appears in the lower field, serving as a mint mark characteristic of Cyrenaican issues under Ptolemy II. |
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| Additional information |
Cyrene presented the Ptolemaic administration with a persistent management problem. The city had its own deep Hellenistic minting tradition predating Ptolemaic control, and local bronze coinage under Ptolemy II reflects the ongoing negotiation between Alexandria's centralizing monetary ambitions and Cyrene's civic identity. This particular obol belongs to a transitional phase in which the Cyrenaean mint was being steadily brought into alignment with Ptolemaic weight standards without fully abandoning local fabric.
Svoronos 855 is well-attested across major collections, as the Copenhagen and British Museum holdings both confirm reasonable survival rates — suggesting the Cyrenaean mint struck in sufficient volume to supply a regional economy that depended heavily on grain export revenue.