Ptolemy V Epiphanes (c. 210 - May 180 BCE) died unexpectedly at the age of 30, leaving the kingdom in a precarious state. His reign had been marked by native Egyptian revolts, the loss of overseas territories, and a heavy reliance on the goodwill of Rome. His heir, Ptolemy VI Philometor, was a child of only six years upon his accession in 180 BC. The survival of the dynasty depended entirely on the stability of the regency. Cleopatra I "Syra as regent Initially, the regency w

2nd/3rd Century CE relief showing a Kushan King (probably Huvishka) making a donation to Buddha (a Bodhisattva). Museo d'Arte Orientale, in the historic 18th-century seat of Palazzo Mazzonis, Torino, Italy Huvishka, the documented successor of Kanishka I, ruled for more than three decades. His reign is best reconstructed from inscriptions and an exceptionally rich coinage. What stands out from his reign is an imperial mint that deployed a broad pantheon on coins, a shift of m

In the late fourth to early third century BC, amid the shifting alliances and hard-fought wars that would determine the destiny of southern Italy, the Greek city of Neapolis struck a series of silver nomoi whose beauty and symbolism remain among the most evocative of Magna Graecia. This coin preserves the identity of an independent Greek polis negotiating the rise of Roman power, preserving local myth, and asserting civic pride through images deeply rooted in Neapolitan memor

National Archaeological Museum of Naples. From Boscoreale, Villa of P. Fannius Synistor. Personifications of Macedonia (on the left) and Persia (or Asia, seated); or possibly a representation of the Macedonian ruler (see the circular shield with a star), or Antigonus Gonatas and his mother Phila. Public Domain image via Wikimedia Commons . According to Greek belief, Pan could cause irrational terror in humans and animals, especially when his midday rest was disturbed. His sud