Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The obverse depicts the bust of Arsinoe II, with the horn of Zeus-Ammon, adorned with a diadem and with covered head. Sister and wife of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, sovereign of Egypt in the Hellenistic period, was a woman of great talent and political sensitivity.

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The reverse shows a double cornucopia full of fruit, a symbol of abundance and fertility, accompanied by the legend in greek "Arsinoe Filadelfa". The beautiful portrait and refinement of the reverse prove the high artistic level reached by the engravers in the workshops of Alexandria in the 3rd century BC.

Provenance: Palagi Collection
Datation: 271 BC
Material: gold
Dimensions: dia mm 28; gr 27,65
Inventory #: 21233