DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45277#0795
EGYPT.
711
EGYPT.
It is a remarkable fact that throughout the period of the Persian rule no
coins whatever appear to have been struck in Egypt. It is true that
Aryandes, the Satrap of Egypt under Darius, the son of Hystaspes, is
said by Herodotus (iv. 166) to have issued silver coins which rivalled in
purity those of the king of Persia, but none of these coins have been
handed down to us, or, at any rate, numismatists have failed to identify
them. The coinage of Egypt may therefore be said to begin in the time
of Alexander, who undoubtedly established mints in Egypt. His
Egyptian coins are gold staters and silver tetradrachms, which are only
to be distinguished from those struck in other parts of his empire by the
occurrence upon them of Egyptian symbols or monograms, found also on
the subsequent coins of Ptolemy I. The long series of the coins of the
Ptolemies is. generally acknowledged to be the most difficult to classify in
the whole range of Greek numismatics, so much so indeed that Mr. E. H.
Bunbury, in Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Boman Biography, remarks
that ‘ most of them can only be assigned to the several monarchs by
conjecture, very few of them bearing any title but those ofTTTOAEMAlOY
BASIAEDS, hence they are of little or no historical value.’
Much, however, has been done since this was written towards clearing
up the difficulties which beset the numismatist in his endeavours to
arrive at an exact classification of the coinage of the Ptolemaic kings of
Egypt, notably by Mr. R. S. Poole and M. F. Feuardent, who have devoted
much minute study to the Ptolemaic series, and have embodied the
results at which they have arrived in two works, to which we must refer
those who have time or inclination to pursue the subject further. These
are B. M. Cat., The Ptolemies Kings of Egypt, 1883, by R. S. Poole, and
Numismatique—Egypte ancienne, irepartie. Monnaies des rois, by F. Feuardent.
M. J. P. Six’s articles in the Numismatic Chronicle, 1877 and 1886, must
also be consulted.
Ptolemy I (Soter), governor for Philip Aridaeus and young Alex-
ander IV, b. c. 323-311 ; Independent, B. C. 311-305; King, B. c. 305-
284. At first Ptolemy strikes coins in the name either of Philip III or
of Alexander, with the usual types of Alexander the Great. These,
perhaps on the death of Philip, b. c. 316, were replaced by tetradrachms
(still of Attic weight), with the usual reverse, Zeus enthroned, but with a
head of Alexander on the obverse, covered with an Elephant’s skin.
Fig. 376.
711
EGYPT.
It is a remarkable fact that throughout the period of the Persian rule no
coins whatever appear to have been struck in Egypt. It is true that
Aryandes, the Satrap of Egypt under Darius, the son of Hystaspes, is
said by Herodotus (iv. 166) to have issued silver coins which rivalled in
purity those of the king of Persia, but none of these coins have been
handed down to us, or, at any rate, numismatists have failed to identify
them. The coinage of Egypt may therefore be said to begin in the time
of Alexander, who undoubtedly established mints in Egypt. His
Egyptian coins are gold staters and silver tetradrachms, which are only
to be distinguished from those struck in other parts of his empire by the
occurrence upon them of Egyptian symbols or monograms, found also on
the subsequent coins of Ptolemy I. The long series of the coins of the
Ptolemies is. generally acknowledged to be the most difficult to classify in
the whole range of Greek numismatics, so much so indeed that Mr. E. H.
Bunbury, in Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Boman Biography, remarks
that ‘ most of them can only be assigned to the several monarchs by
conjecture, very few of them bearing any title but those ofTTTOAEMAlOY
BASIAEDS, hence they are of little or no historical value.’
Much, however, has been done since this was written towards clearing
up the difficulties which beset the numismatist in his endeavours to
arrive at an exact classification of the coinage of the Ptolemaic kings of
Egypt, notably by Mr. R. S. Poole and M. F. Feuardent, who have devoted
much minute study to the Ptolemaic series, and have embodied the
results at which they have arrived in two works, to which we must refer
those who have time or inclination to pursue the subject further. These
are B. M. Cat., The Ptolemies Kings of Egypt, 1883, by R. S. Poole, and
Numismatique—Egypte ancienne, irepartie. Monnaies des rois, by F. Feuardent.
M. J. P. Six’s articles in the Numismatic Chronicle, 1877 and 1886, must
also be consulted.
Ptolemy I (Soter), governor for Philip Aridaeus and young Alex-
ander IV, b. c. 323-311 ; Independent, B. C. 311-305; King, B. c. 305-
284. At first Ptolemy strikes coins in the name either of Philip III or
of Alexander, with the usual types of Alexander the Great. These,
perhaps on the death of Philip, b. c. 316, were replaced by tetradrachms
(still of Attic weight), with the usual reverse, Zeus enthroned, but with a
head of Alexander on the obverse, covered with an Elephant’s skin.
Fig. 376.