Ptolemaic Tetradrachm
OriginEgypt
First Minted300 BC
MaterialSilver
TypeCoin
About Ptolemaic Tetradrachm
The coinage of Ptolemaic Egypt after Alexander the Great. Featured the kings portrait on the obverse and an eagle on a thunderbolt on the reverse. Ptolemaic tetradrachms were slightly lighter than other Greek tetradrachms, creating a closed currency system. The famous Cleopatra VII tetradrachms show her as a realistic, not beautiful, ruler. The Ptolemaic mint at Alexandria was one of the largest in the ancient world.
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