Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying King Ptolemy I

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The Ptolemaic bloodline was running thin when Ptolemy XII bought his way onto the throne. His bribes, paid to Julius Caesar and other Roman generals, opened Egypt to Rome’s ambitions of empire. He was a weak leader, a drunkard, and no match for his Roman allies. At his death he insisted that his son share the rule with his sister, the legendary Queen Cleopatra VII, but she soon disposed of her brother in order to rule alone.

Source ↗