Octodrachm with image of Arsinoe II

Ptolemaic Period

180 B.C.–116 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134

This octodrachm carries on one side the image of queen Arsinoe II and on the opposite side her double cornucopia and her name "Arsinoe Philadelphos." The image depicts the queen wearing veil and the stephane (the crown adopted by Ptolemaic queens), and with a ram's horn peeking out below her ear. The last attribute was granted to her by Ptolemy II after her death in 270 B.C. when he divinized the queen. The horn is attributed to her association with the ram god of Mendes, although it also carries long connotations of divinity in Egypt.

Arsinoe continued to be honored in statuary (see 20.2.21) and objects after her death. The K in the field of this coin indicates it was issued in the second century B.C reign of either Ptolemy VI or Ptolemy VIII, so 180-116 B.C.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Octodrachm with image of Arsinoe II
Period: Ptolemaic Period
Reign: Ptolemy VI or Ptolemy VIII
Date: 180 B.C.–116 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Gold
Dimensions: Dia. 2.9 × Th. 0.4 cm (1 1/8 × 3/16 in.)
Credit Line: Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian, 2020
Object Number: 2021.41.177
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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