Ancient Greek. Pentadrachm (Coin) Portraying King Ptolemy I Soter. 285 BC–247 BC. Cyprus. Gold Obverse Head of Ptolemy I right, diademed and wearing an aegisReverse Eagle stands left on fulmen, wings foldedPtolemy II used the portrait of the founder of the dynasty, Ptolemy I, on his coin. On the obverse, the aegis (a magical garment) worn by Ptolemy I alluded to Zeus as well as Athena; it was thought to protect the wearer and repel enemies, and it underscored the divine origins of the dynasty. On the reverse the eagle and the thunderbolt also recall Zeus, with whom, in the form of Zeus-Ammon,
Ancient Greek. Pentadrachm (Coin) Portraying King Ptolemy I Soter. 285 BC–247 BC. Cyprus. Gold Obverse Head of Ptolemy I right, diademed and wearing an aegisReverse Eagle stands left on fulmen, wings foldedPtolemy II used the portrait of the founder of the dynasty, Ptolemy I, on his coin. On the obverse, the aegis (a magical garment) worn by Ptolemy I alluded to Zeus as well as Athena; it was thought to protect the wearer and repel enemies, and it underscored the divine origins of the dynasty. On the reverse the eagle and the thunderbolt also recall Zeus, with whom, in the form of Zeus-Ammon, the early Ptolemaic dynasty associated itself.
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