Archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered a rare 2,270-year-old gold coin depicting Queen Berenice II of Egypt and inscribed “Queen,” a testament to her influential and powerful position. The coin dates to the reign of her husband, Ptolemy III, the third ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.
It may have been part of a set of coins given as gifts to soldiers returning from the Third Assyrian War (246–241 BC), a war fought between the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and the Seleucid Kingdom of Assyria.
One side of the coin depicts Queen Berenice II wearing a crown, headdress, and necklace. The reverse depicts a cornucopia and two stars, and the inscription reads “Basileisses” (“Queen”) in ancient Greek. Berenice II was the wife and queen of Ptolemy III. However, the inscription on the coin suggests that she may have ruled independently. Berenice had previously been queen of Cyrenaica (now eastern Libya) and, by marrying Ptolemy, had incorporated that territory into the kingdom of Egypt. While Ptolemy III was at war in Syria, she became regent of Egypt.
Although it is not yet clear how the coin ended up in Jerusalem, it shows that the city was rapidly rebuilding after the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586–587 BC.
