Gold oktadrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator

Greek, Ptolemaic

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 163

head of Ptolemy III, Euergetes/double cornucopiae
minted in Alexandria, Egypt

Gold and silver were the primary raw materials for Hellenistic coinage of intrinsic value. The Ptolemies had access to abundant gold from the mines in Nubia, but most silver had to be imported to Egypt from farther afield. Consequently, the Ptolemies placed greater importance on gold coinage, producing some of the finest gold issues of Hellenistic times, examples of which you see here.

Gold oktadrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator, Gold, Greek, Ptolemaic

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Gold oktadrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator, Gold, Greek, Ptolemaic
Gold oktadrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator, Gold, Greek, Ptolemaic

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