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Trichryson - Ptolemy I Soter Alexandreia
| Issuer | Ptolemaic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 294 BC - 285 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 17.95 g |
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| Obverse description | Diademed portrait head of Ptolemy I Soter facing right, rendered in the Hellenistic tradition with finely articulated features. An aegis is tied around the neck, its scaled surface and gorgoneion visible as a regal attribute. A small incuse letter Δ appears behind the ear, serving as a mint or die control mark. The portrait is executed with vigorous realism characteristic of early Ptolemaic royal imagery. The field is enclosed by a finely beaded border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
The trichryson — a three-stater gold piece — was part of Ptolemy I's deliberate monetary program to establish Alexandria as a dominant commercial hub in the eastern Mediterranean. Ptolemy broke with the Attic weight standard used by Alexander and his other successors, adopting a lighter Phoenician-based standard that made Egyptian coins less compatible with rival coinages — a calculated friction that encouraged trade settlement within his own kingdom rather than across it.
Svoronos 210 is among the earlier, heavier emissions of this type before weight reduction crept into later production runs.