Catalogue of Greek Coins - The Ptolemies, Kings of Egypt

By Reginald Stuart Poole

"Catalogue of Greek Coins - The Ptolemies, Kings of Egypt" is a 1888 work by Reginald S. Poole. Reginald Stuart Poole (1832 - 1895) was an English numismatist, archaeologist, and orientalist whose best work is arguably his contributions to Encyclopædia Britannica on the subjects of on Egypt, Hieroglyphics and Numismatics. He also worked on "Smith's Dictionary of the Bible", and was "Keeper of Coins" at the British Museum. This volume looks at the money of Ptolemies, exploring the history of Alexander's successors and the related coinage. This book will appeal to those with an interest in ancient coins and antiques, as well as those with an interest in ancient Greek history. Contents include: "Principles of Classification", "Mints", "Weights", "Table I. Stemma Ptolemaeorum", "Table II. Chronology", "Table III. Mints and Dates", "Ptolemaeus I. And Ptolemaeus II.", "Ptolemaeus II, Philadelphus", "Ptolemaeus II. And Arsinoe II. With Ptolemaeus I. And Berenice I", "Arsinoe II., Philadelphus", etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Press
• Release date: Oct 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781473344310

Book preview

CATALOGUE OF GREEK COINS.

THE PTOLEMIES, KINGS OF EGYPT.

BY REGINALD STUART POOLE,

CORRESPONDENT OF THE INSTITUTE OF FRANCE.

WITH THIRTY-TWO PLATES.

1883.

Copyright © 2013 Read Books Ltd.

This book is copyright and may not be

reproduced or copied in any way without

the express permission of the publisher in writing

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the

British Library

Reginald Stuart Poole

Reginald Stuart Poole was an English archaeologist, numismatist and orientalist. He was born on 27th January 1832, in London, England – the son of the Reverend Edward Poole, a well-known bibliophile. His parents became estranged during his early childhood however, and his mother, Sophia Lane Poole, took her sons to Egypt to live with her brother, the Orientalist, Edward William Lane.

During their seven-year residence in Cairo from 1842 to 1849, Lane Poole wrote The Englishwoman in Egypt, while her son was imbibing an early taste for Egyptian antiquities. He began his Egyptian studies with relish, examining private collections in Cairo and Alexandria, and twice travelling up the Nile. Before he was seventeen, Reginald had contributed a series of articles to the Literary Gazette which were republished in 1851 as 'Horae Aegyptiacae', or, 'The Chronology of Ancient Egypt'. In 1852, Reginald became an assistant with the British Museum, and was assigned to the department of coins and medals, of which in 1870, he became keeper. In that capacity he did work of the highest value, alike as a writer, teacher and administrator. In 1882 he was further responsible for founding the 'Egypt Exploration Fund', and in 1884 for starting the 'Society of English Medallists'. This latter society was founded with the hope of reviving the design and production of cast medals.

In his personal life, Reginald Stuart Poole married Eliza Christina Forlonge, daughter of William Forlone on 29th October, 1870. The couple had four children together. Some of Poole's best work was done in his articles for the 9th edition of the Encyclopœdia Britannica, on Egypt, Hieroglyphics and Numismatics; he also wrote for Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bible', and published volumes dealing with his special subjects. He was also the driving force in the production of British Museum catalogues of Greek coins, which still remain the standard reference set, and whose publication is the foundation-stone of modern Greek numismatics. In 1873 he published the first volume (on Italy), which was followed by three further volumes (Syria, 1878; Ptolemies, 1883; Roman Egypt, 1892).

Poole's principal contribution to Egyptology was his aforementioned founding of the 'Egypt Exploration Fund' (in 1882), in order to promote excavation and study of ancient Egypt. Poole devoted most of his spare time and energy to the fund, and was its honorary secretary (1882–5) and later its vice-president (1885–95). Many of his decisions are in retrospect considered misguided though, such as favouring Edouard Naville over the more meticulous archaeologist Flinders Petrie. His relations with the latter were for a time cool, after Petrie had blamed Poole for the fund's poor administration, which was largely owing to Poole's being seriously overworked.

In 1883, Poole was appointed by the Royal Academy as a lecturer on Greek, Egyptian and medallic art, a post which he held for the next two years. He was also awarded an honorary degree from Cambridge University in the same year. In 1889, he succeeded Sir Charles Newton as the Yates professor of archaeology at University College London. After this successful academic career, on 31st January 1893, he retired from the British Museum and in 1894, resigned his professorship because of failing health.

Reginald Stuat Poole died of heart disease, at his home at 2 Gledstanes Road, West Kensington, London, on 8th February 1895 – at the age of sixty-three.

PREFACE.

THIS volume of the Catalogue of Greek Coins describes the money of the Ptolemies. It forms part of the series devoted to the coinage of Alexander’s successors, of which the Catalogue of the Coins of the Seleucidae has already appeared.

The difficulties of the production of this work have been very great; but they have been lightened by generous aid which is here gratefully acknowledged. M. Revillout, of the Egyptian Department in the Louvre, has afforded valuable information on disputed points of chronology, and M. J. P. Six, of Amsterdam, on the order of the coinage, while Mr. Head and Professor Gardner have assisted in the revision. To M. Feuardent, of Paris, the author’s thanks are due for affording him the opportunity of examining and publishing rare coins, particularly from the collection of M. Demetrio, of Alexandria, whose liberality in the matter deserves especial acknowledgment.

REGINALD STUART POOLE.

BRITISH MUSEUM.

November, 1882.

CONTENTS.

PREFACE

LIST OF PLATES

INTRODUCTION:—

§ 1. ARRANGEMENT.

Principles of Classification

Ptolemy I. First Coinage, not here represented. Second, Attic. Third, Attic and Rhodian. Fourth, Rhodian. Gold stater of Cyrene. Local Coinage of Ptolemy. Monetary reform under Ptolemy as king. Phoenician standard finally adopted for gold and silver. Coins of Ptolemy as king. Discussion of earliest Ptolemaïc regal coins. Group with title king; mostly with Δ. Group with title Soter, of Phoenicia, struck under Ptolemy II. and III. Title Soter dates from 25th year of Ptolemy II. B.C. 261-0. Coins with Δ, partly of Philadelphus, his First Coinage; partly of Ptolemy I., his Sixth. Coins without Δ, Fifth Coinage of Ptolemy I. Coinage of Cyrenaïca discussed; of Ptolemy I. and II; Magas governor, king, a second time governor

Ptolemy II. First General Coinage. Monetary change in middle of reign. Cyprus, Second Coinage. Buckler as symbol. Phoenicia, First and Second Coinages. Title Soter. New copper coinage of Phoenicia and Egypt

Ptolemy II. aud Arsinoë II. with Ptolemy I. and Berenice I. Medallic issues of Philadelphus. Coins with four portraits. Later issues

Arsinoë II. Variety of types. Later issues

Ptolemy III. Cyprus, First Coinage; Second. Phoenicia, First Coinage; Second; Third. Egypt, First Coinage; Second. Cornucopiæ as symbol. Cyrenaïca

Berenice II. Import of title βaσíλισσa. Cyrenaïca

Note on coins of Cyrene with inscription KOINON

Ptolemy IV. Cyprus, Ordinary currency; Dionysiac silver. Phoenicia, First Coinage; Second. Egypt.

Arsinoë III.

Ptolemy V., Epiphanes. Cyprus, beginning of series of dated tetradrachms; their arrangement. Coins of Epiphanes, Cyprus; Phoenicia; Egypt; Cyrenaïca. Types

Ptolemy VI., Philometor. Regency of Cleopatra I., Cyprus; Egypt; Cyrenaïca. Classification of Cyprian currencies of Philometor and Physcon. Mint-letters ΓA used for Paphos and at Alexandria. Regency of Eulaeus and Lenaeus; Cyprus; Egypt. Usurpation of Antiochus IV.; Egypt. Joint reign of Philometor and Physcon, Cyprus; Egypt; Cyrenaïca. Sole reign of Philometor, Cyprus; Phoenicia; Egypt

Ptolemy VI. and Ptolemy VII., Eupator

Ptolemy VIII., Euergetes II. (Physcon), Cyrenaïca. Alexandrian mint. Sole reign after Philometor, Cyprus; Egypt. Coregency, Cyprus; Egypt

Ptolemy VIII. and Ptolemy IX., Philopator II.

Uncertain Coins of, and anterior to, the period of Ptolemy VI. and VIII. Uncertain of about time of Physcon. Coins of an Era

Ptolemy X., Soter II. (Lathyrus), Ptolemy XI., Alexander I., and Ptolemy (Apion) King of Cyprus. Cyprus, Lathyrus; Alexander; first periods; Lathyrus, second reign. Egypt, Lathyrus; Alexander. Double dates of Cleopatra III. and Alexander. Cyrenaïca; Lathyrus, Apion

Ptolemy XIII., Neus Dionysus (Auletes)

Ptolemy, King of Cyprus

Coins of Successors of Auletes. Cyprus, Cleopatra VII.; Ptolemy XV. and Arsinoë IV? Egypt, Cleopatra VII.; Ptolemy XVI.

§ 2. MINTS:—

Cyprus; Phoenicia; Egypt; Cyrenaïea; Asia Minor? and doubtful

§ 3. WEIGHTS:—

Gold and Silver; Copper

TABLE I. STEMMA PTOLEMAEORUM

TABLE II. CHRONOLOGY

TABLE III. MINTS AND DATES

Ptolemaeus I., Soter I

Magas, Governor of Cyrenaïca

Ptolemaeus I. and Ptolemaeus II

Ptolemaeus II., Philadelphus

Magas, Governor

Magas, King

Magas, Governor, second time

Ptolemaeus II. and Arsinoë II. with Ptolemaeus 1. and Berenice I

Arsinoë II., Philadelphos

Ptolemaeus III., Euergetes I.

Berenice II., Euergetis

Berenice II. and Ptolemaeus III.

Ptolemaeus IV., Philopator I.

Arsinoë III., Philopator

Arsinoë III. and Ptolemaeus IV.

Ptolemaeus V., Epiphanes

Ptolemaeus VL, Philometor I.

Cleopatra I., Regent

Eulaeus and Lenaeus, Regents

Antiochus IV., Epiphanes

Ptolemaeus VIII., Euergetes II.

Ptolemaeus VI. and Ptolemaeus VIII.

Ptolemaeus VI., alone

Ptolemaeus VI. and Ptolemaeus VII., Eupator

Ptolemaeus VIII., Euergetes II.

Ptolemaeus VIII. with Cleopatra II. and III.

Ptolemaeus VIII. with Ptolemaeus IX., Philopator II.

Ptolemaeus VIII.?

Coins dated by an uncertain Era

Ptolemaeus X., Soter II.:—

With Cleopatra III.

Alone

Ptolemaeus XI., Alexander I.

With Cleopatra III.

Alone

Ptolemaeus X., last reign

Ptolemaeus (Apion) King of Cyrene?

Ptolemaeus XIII., Neus Dionysus:—

First Reign

Second Reign

Ptolemaeus, King of Cyprus

Ptolemaeus XV. and Arsinoë IV?

Cleopatra VII., Philopator

Cleopatra VII. and Ptolemaeus XVI., Cæsar

Ptolemaeus XVI.

INDEXES.

Index I., Geographical

Index II., Types

Index III., Symbols

Index IV., Kings and Governors

Table of Weights

Table of Measures

LIST OF PLATES.