Art Institute of Chicago

Denarius (Coin) Portraying Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra VII

Roman

Date

37-33 BCE, issued by Mark Antony

Medium

Silver

Culture

Ancient Greece

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the head of Mark Antony, facing to the right. On the back (reverse), a bust of Cleopatra is portrayed, facing to the right. Through Cleopatra, Egypt became involved in the chaotic political struggles of the Roman civil war, in which Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian sought to control Egypt’s wealth of grain and gold. Eventually this led to the end of Egypt’s existence as a sovereign nation as well as the destruction of the Ptolemaic dynasty. This coin was struckafter Antony and Cleopatra had married and joined forces to fight Octavian. A year later, in 31 BCE. Octavian would defeat the pair at the Battle of Actium, and the ruling dynasty begun by Ptolemy would end with Cleopatra’s death in 30 BCE.

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