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Kingdom of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, Tetradrachm

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Kingdom of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, Tetradrachm (obverse) Kingdom of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, Tetradrachm (reverse)

Ptolemy II became co-regent with his father in about 290 BC, and sole ruler of Egypt in 283 BC (until 246). At that time he was married to Arsinoƫ I of Thrace. He repudiated her in 278, however, allegedly because she had participated in a conspiracy against him. Subsequently he married his sister Arsinoƫ II, which brought him her Aegean possessions and the nickname Philadelphus, the sister-loving. For Greeks and Macedonians, this marriage was a scandal. For the Egyptians, on the other hand, endogamous marriages were nothing unusual; in this way, the pharaohs had tried to keep power within the family since time immemorial.

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