Art Institute of Chicago
Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying King Ptolemy I
Greek, Ptolemaic; minted in EgyptLinkedCulture matchlcp-92b2783c82d5
- 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
- Object ID
- 139857
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
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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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Gift of William F. Dunham
- Provenance
- William F. Dunham (1857-1936), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1920.
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300037334
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