Brief Egyptian History

Obverse of Ancient Egyptian Bronze Tetradrachm of Ptolemy

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Reverse of Ancient Egyptian Bronze Tetradrachm of Ptolemy

Egypt
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty following World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to ready the economy for the new millennium through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.

Brief Historical Notes about Egyptian Coins
Although Egypt was one of the earliest of ancient civilisations, it did not invent coinage. The first coins used in Egypt were probably those of the Persian empire of Darius, together with Greek coins, some of which may have been minted in Egypt. Alexander the Great of Macedonia also issued coins for use in Egypt, and many of these were almost certainly struck there. Following this, the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt, from 305 BC to 30 BC, when it became part of the Roman Empire.
Ptolemy I was a Macedonian general in Alexander the Great's army, who was appolnted as Satrap or regional governor in 323 BC. After Alexander's death, Ptolemy declared himself King of Egypt, later adding the name Soter (saviour), a classic piece of propaganda. Every male ruler from the Ptolemy line used the same name Ptolemy, and there were at lease fifteen of them. Their queen's showed slightly more variety in their names, mainly being Cleopatra, Arsinoe, or Berenice. They were often married to their brothers, which may have been a more ancient Egyptian tradition.
We show a typical large coin, a tetradrachm, from this period.

Roman Empire

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