The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

288 E. S. G. ROBINSON.
during this period (304-285) other Ptolemaic gold,
silver, and copper issues (Svor., Nos. 304-37). The first
is a gold coin which by its weight (44 grs.) falls into
line with the contemporary autonomous gold tetrobols
mentioned above (p. 265) ; the symbol and letter (crab
and I) suggest that we have here to do with one of the
magistrates who appear (also with a crab) on the later
autonomous silver as ^ or I (M. i. 162 and 165). The
rest are silver didrachms of Phoenician weight with
the inscriptions BASIAEHS HTOAEMAIOY and
BASIAISSHS BEPENIKHS 212
(all of the latter and
certain of the former bearing the monogram M" in some
inscribed BA3IAEHS
shape or other), and copper
FITOAEMAIOY, variously abbreviated, with the same
monogram.
The monogram has been explained plausibly enough
as that of Magas and the head accompanying the inscrip-
tion BA5IAIS5HS BEPENIKHS has been generally
recognized as that of Berenice II. But here we have
a serious difficulty. Berenice II was the daughter of
Magas. Why should he the ruler of Gyrene who
issued no coins in his own name 213
strike in the name
of his daughter, and then add his own monogram?
There are only two solutions of this impossible situa-
tion : either the portrait is not that of Berenice II or
the monogram is not that of Magas. Svoronos (I. c.)
adopts the first explanation. But the style is quite
late, with a rather poor portrait of Soter and very
212 It is perhaps worth noting here that the symbol given by
Poole (B. M. C.: Ptolem., p. 60, No. 12) and Svor., No. 319, as
a silphium plant is really a bow case, while that on B. M. C. :
Ptolem., p. 39, No. 25, and Svor., No. 322, as J is probably the
i'amiliar apple branch of Euesperides-Berenice.
218 See below, p. 290.