Art Institute of Chicago

Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying King Ptolemy I

Greek, Ptolemaic; minted in Egypt

Date

Ptolemaic Period (53–52 BCE), issued by King Ptolemy XII Auletes, Reign of Ptolemy XII Auletes (80–51 BCE)

Medium

Silver

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The Ptolemaic bloodline was running thin when Ptolemy XII bought his way onto the throne. His bribes, paid to Julius Caesar and other Roman generals, opened Egypt to Rome’s ambitions of empire. He was a weak leader, a drunkard, and no match for his Roman allies. At his death he insisted that his son share the rule with his sister, the legendary Queen Cleopatra VII, but she soon disposed of her brother in order to rule alone.

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