Coinage as a Tool of Ptolemy VI Philometor’s Policies: Ptolemaic Coins in Coele Syria and Phoenicia in the Middle of the Second Century BCE

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the presence of Ptolemaic coins in the new Seleucid province of
Coele Syria, especially in the middle of the second century BCE, despite its loss by the kings
of Alexandria during the Fifth Syrian War (202–198 BCE). The circulation of these currencies
and the emission of the “Uncertain Era” didrachms are linked to Ptolemy VI’s activist policies
in the region with regard to both the Maccabees and the Seleucid kingdom itself.