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Tetradrachm - Ptolemy I Soter Alexandria
| Issuer | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
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| Year | 294 BC - 282 BC |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and draped bust of Ptolemy I Soter facing right, wearing the royal diadem bound through his elaborately rendered, wavy hair. The portrait displays strong, idealized Hellenistic features with a prominent nose and squared jaw. A serpent-fringed aegis is visible at the base of the truncation, serving as a divine attribute linking the king to Alexander the Great and Zeus. The bust is rendered in high relief with exceptional sculptural detail, characteristic of the finest Alexandrian die-cutting of the early third century BC. The field is plain and the design is enclosed within a finely beaded border. |
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| Reverse description | An eagle with closed wings stands facing left upon a thunderbolt, its head turned slightly to the left with a determined profile; the thunderbolt, symbol of Zeus, serves as the eagle's perch and reinforces the divine legitimacy of Ptolemaic rule. To the left of the eagle in the field appears a control mark in the form of the letter chi (X). The royal legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ to the right and ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ to the left encircles the central device, reading 'of King Ptolemy.' The entire design is enclosed within a beaded border, and the overall composition is bold and hieratic in character, reflecting the Ptolemaic adoption of Egyptian-influenced Hellenistic iconography. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ (Translation: of King Ptolemy) |
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