Roman Egypt, Debased Silver Tetradrachm

These tetradrachms, issued under Roman rule, were struck at the city of Alexandria in the Nile River delta. Each coin was made from a mixture of bronze and a small amount of silver, a material known as billon. They show a unique blend of cultures as well: the deities seen on the reverse are stylistically Egyptian, yet the portrait of the emperor on the obverse is unmistakably Roman.

Since ancient Egyptian culture was very distinct to that of the Greeks and Romans, it's easy to forget that Egypt wasn't actually ruled by Egyptians for the last thousand years of ancient history.

Egypt was first conquered by the Persian Achaemenid Empire in the sixth century BC, who continued to rule for about 200 years. When Alexander the Great famously conquered Egypt and established the Greek Ptolemaic Kingdom in 332 BC, it was actually already under foreign rule.

In 30 AD, Egypt changed hands yet again—after a Roman offensive in Alexandria and the suicide of the last Ptolemaic ruler Cleopatra, the region was absorbed into the Roman Empire as the province of Egypt. Roman rule in the region would last until 641 AD, as Egypt was retained by the Byzantines even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Each of these coins includes a Certificate of Authenticity.