Silver, 3rd cent. B.C.
Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, inv. F. g. 9435

Portrayed on the coin is Ptolemy I Soter, sovereign of Egypt from 304 to 284 B.C. The Museum was founded in Alexandria on his initiative. A center devoted to literature and to scientific and technological culture, the Museum was endowed with an extraordinary library and a park rich in plants and animals.