Octadrachm (Coin) Portraying Arsinoe II

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

261 BCE, Issued by Ptolemy II
Reign of Arsinoe II, Queen of Egypt, 276–270 BCE

Greek, Ptolemaic

The purpose of the first portrait coins was to identify the ruler. The front side became a mirror of the sovereign’s self-image. The back was often used to communicate the ruler’s accomplishments or intentions. The profile portrait was used because it suited the very shallow depth and limited surface of the coin. The tiny images were carved by engravers into bronze dies, one for the front and another for the back. The coins were then struck, one by one, in a process similar to how modern coins are created today.

In place of human ancestors, some rulers substituted real or mythic heroes or even the gods as their progenitors.

On the front (obverse) of this coin Queen Arsinoe (reigned 270–260 BCE) is portayed with a tiny horn curled around her ear. The horn was the symbol of the god Zeus-Ammon and implies that the queen was in fact, a goddess on earth. The back (reverse) of this coin depicts a double cornucapia bound with a fillet.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Octadrachm (Coin) Portraying Arsinoe II
Place: Egypt (Minted in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Struck 276 BCE–261 BCE
Medium: Gold
Inscriptions: Reverse: ΑΡΣΙΝΟΗΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΥ
Dimensions: Diam.: 2.9 cm (1 3/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Frederick Robinson
Reference Number: 1933.795
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Theresa Gross-Diaz, “Cat. 22 Tetradrachm Portraying Queen Cleopatra VII: Curatorial Entry,” in Roman Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago, 2016), para 14, fig. 22.2.

Mrs. Frederick Robinson; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.

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