Coin of Ptolemy I

Coin of Ptolemy I

310-305 BC

Mint of Alexandria

Silver

Roughly 2.6cm in diameter

N/A

The Harvard Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Description:
The Tetradrachm of Ptolemy I Soter, like all coins, has two sides, the obverse and reverse. The obverse depicts the portrait of Alexander the Great. He is shown wearing an elephant headdress, the mitra of Dionysus, the ram’s horn, and an aegis around his neck. The elephant headdress is lifelike; it is shown with wrinkles in its skin. The trunk of the elephant also seems to be drawn using the same pattern as the outline of the coin, almost as if the two are connected. The ear of the elephant also seems to be disconnected from the rest of the head, as if it was pinned on. The ram’s horn also peaks out from underneath the headdress (protruding from the top of Alexander’s head in a slanted direction towards the right). It is also worth mentioning that the aegis around Alexander’s neck is very detailed; it is shown with a scale like design. Furthermore, we can still see Alexander’s long hair spill out, despite the headdress. Lastly, the features of Alexander’s face are extremely detailed. You can especially see this with his eye. Not only are his eye lids depicted, you can even see that the artist included Alexander's iris in the obverse die that was used to strike this portrait image. Lastly, the open lips and luxurious hair show that the portrait of Alexander is in “Lysippan style.”
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There are a lot of noticeable features about the reverse side of the coin as well. First, we see the emphasis of this side, the striding Athena. Athena is depicted here, with a spear in her right hand and a shield in the left. The detail in the picture of Athena is meticulous. You can see the design in her dress, the folds in her cloths, and the pieces of her armor. I would even go as far as saying that the bottom of her clothes seem almost transparent, since you can see the outline of her leg, even through the clothes. Along with Athena, this side of the coin also has an eagle on top of a lightning bolt, to the right of Athena. There are also a number of inscriptions on this side of the coin, AΛEΞANΔPOY (to the left of Athena), and a couple of arrow like characters (to the right of Athena). It should also be noted, that this side of the coin has the same outline as the obverse side.

Significance:
The obverse side of the coin is full of significance. The depiction of Alexander the great is filled with metaphor and connections to other aspects of his life. To start, we have his face. The face shown on the coin is clean, shaven, and young. This shows the idea of the coin was to cement Alexander forever in time, as the youthful leader that he was. The aegis around Alexander’s neck also gives the same idea; it represents agelessness and immortality. The aegis also belonged to Zeus, connecting Alexander to divinity and, what was believed to be, his bloodline. Next we have the elephant headdress; this is to reference his conquest in the east and his victory against an army of elephants. Not only is Alexander wearing an animal, his hair can be seen as reference to the mane of a lion. This connects Alexander to the fierceness and regality of the lion. The ram’s horn, poking out from underneath the headdress, is also significant because it is a reference to Zeus Ammon. The reason Alexander is connected to Zeus Ammon is because a prophet, from the oasis Siwah in the Libyan desert, claims he is his son. Along with being Zeus Ammon’s son, Alexander is shown wearing a mitra of Dionysus, to further relate him to the gods. Other instances where Alexander is being connected to Zeus are the eagle and lightning bolt on the reverse side, both are symbolic of Zeus.

The reasons behind the making of the coin are also very important. First, the portrait being on a coin means the images on the coin are meant to be seen by the populace. This was Ptolemy’s way of showing the majority of his connection to Alexander. It was a way for him to proclaim his right to be Alexander’ successor. It was also a way to show his respect to his predecessor.

Arnold-Biucchi, Carmen. Alexander's Coins and Alexander's Image. N.p.: n.p., 2007. Print. Pages 59-61

http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/191212

http://snible.org/coins/hn/egypt.html

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/egypt/ptolemy_I/i.html

https://warisboring.com/battle-of-the-dumbos-elephant-warfare-from-ancient-greece-to-the-vietnam-war-ca62af225917#.7uhs73yoa

http://www.livius.org/sources/content/arrian/anabasis/alexander-visits-siwah/

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