Ptolemy III as Ruler of the Heavens, Earth, and Sea

221, Lot: 417. Estimate $7500. Sold for $8000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy III Euergetes. 246-222 BC. AV Oktadrachm (27mm, 27.83 g, 12h). Alexandreia mint. Struck under Ptolemy IV, 221-205 BC. Bust of the deified Ptolemy III right, wearing radiate diadem and aegis; trident over left shoulder, the middle prong of which ends in a lotus finial / Radiate and filleted cornucopia; ΔI below. Svoronos 1117α (same obv. die); SNG Copenhagen 196 (same obv. die). VF, struck with slightly rusted dies, as is typical for the issue. Lustrous.

Under Ptolemy IV, a series of oktadrachms was struck posthumously for Ptolemy III, portraying him with the divine attributes of Helios (the radiate diadem), Zeus (the aegis), and Poseidon (the trident, the middle prong modified with the addition of the Egyptian lotus tip). The concentration of such symbols is intended to show Ptolemy III as the master of the three elements, heaven, earth and sea. The radiate crown above the cornucopiae on the reverse is another distinctive feature of Ptolemy III's iconography, and was later adopted by his grandson, Ptolemy V.