CLEOPATRA VII 51BC Ancient Billon Silver Tetradrachm Greek EGYPT Coin NGC i76854

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Item: i76854Authentic AncientGreek Coin ofPtolemaic Kingdom of EgyptCleopatra VII - Queen: 51-30 B.C.Billon Silver Tetradrachm 25mm (14.21 grams) Alexandria mint, dated year 2, 51/50 B.C.Reference: Sear 7953 var.; Svoronos 1817; SNG Copenhagen 398Certification: NGC Ancients XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 3/5 4934586-005Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis.ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, Eagle standing left on thunderbolt with palm over shoulder; L B (date) above head-dress of Isis to left, ΠA to right.The Ptolemaic kingdom before Cleopatra, famous for being the lover of both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and during her reign would use the portrait of the dynasty's founder Ptolemy I on the silver tetradrachm coins from the mint in Alexandria. The differentiation can be made by the refined style of the portraiture on the coins of Cleopatra VII, as can be seen in the picture of in Sear no. 7952. It is interesting to note that on her portrait coins she bears a striking resemblance to the dynasty founder Ptolemy I, or perhaps she ordered a portrait that had a close resemblance to her as a political tool to legitimize her reign. Although not a portrait coin of Cleopatra herself, it is a coin struck under her reign as Queen or Pharaoh of Egypt and is very rare and historically important.You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.Billon is an alloy of a precious metal (most commonly silver) with a majority base metal content (such as copper). It is used chiefly for making coins, medals, and token coins. The word comes from the French bille . The use of billon coins dates from ancient Greece through the Middle Ages. During the 6th and 5th centuries BC, some cities on Lesbos Island used coins made of 60% copper and 40% silver. Billon coins are perhaps best known from the Roman Empire, where progressive debasements of the Roman denarius and the Roman provincial tetradrachm.Cleopatra VII Philopator (in Greek, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ ; (Late 69 BC - August 12, 30 BC) was the last person to rule Egypt as an Egyptian pharaoh - after she died, Egypt became a Roman province.She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt, and therefore was a descendant of one of Alexander the Great's generals who had seized control over Egypt after Alexander's death. Most Ptolemeis spoke Greek and refused to learn Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents like the Rosetta Stone. By contrast, Cleopatra learned Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptian Goddess.Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes and later with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom, but eventually she became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she consummated a liaison with Gaius Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne. She later elevated her son with Caesar, Caesarion, to co-ruler in name.After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar's legal heir, Gaius Iulius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus). With Antony, she bore the twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helios, and another son, Ptolemy Philadelphus. Her unions with her brothers produced no children. After losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra followed suit, according to tradition killing herself by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC. She was briefly outlived by Caesarion, who was declared pharaoh, but he was soon killed on Octavian's orders. Egypt became the Roman province of Aegyptus .Though Cleopatra bore the ancient Egyptian title of pharaoh, the Ptolemaic dynasty was Hellenistic, having been founded 300 years before by Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general of Alexander the Great. As such, Cleopatra's language was the Greek spoken by the Hellenic aristocracy, th... read more

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