Due to a falling out at the seleucid court, his eldest sister berenice phernophorus was murdered along with her infant son. However, the chi rho has been traced back to at least ptolemy iii euergetes, reigned 246222 bc the third king of the ptolemaic dynasty in greek egypt. Centurion of the roman army epigraphic evidence indicates that a chi above rho represented an abbreviation for the greek word. In fact, it is the greek alphabet chi that resembles x and rho that looks like p. The chi rho monogram is actually a much older grecoroman symbol, first being used during ptolemaic reigns in egypt by ptolemy iii euergetes in the late 230s bce, the coins being called chi rho series of euergetes by numismatic scholars. Egypt was most prosperous under ptolemy iii s reign. Maurice the cross is a sign of life throughout the world, and everywhere it is used as a charm, to ward off evil spirits. The cross, regardless of its form, is an emblem of great antiquity, and it is sometimes called the sign of life. The sign has also been found on the coins of ptolemy iii 246222 bce. Episode 3 constantines vision the renaissance times. He was restored as heir to the throne in the late 250s bc and succeeded his father as king without issue in 246 bc. He promoted the translation of jewish scriptures into greek as the septuagint. Jovian 363ad ae1 large authentic ancient roman coin chi. The oldest documentation of the water clock is the tomb inscription of the 16th century bc egyptian court official amenemhet, which identifies him as its inventor.
Zeus head to right eagle standing left, wings closed. The first instance of a chi rho on a coin of constantine is on a. Ptolemy iii euergetes benefactor was the grandson of ptolemy i. One of my favorites, constantine i chirho on helmet.
Ptolemy iii euergetes 246bc alexandria egypt zeus chi rho greek. Or it was also the first two letters of chronos, the god of time. Evidence of the chirho on coins appears for the first time in the third century bce on a greek bronze of ptolemy iii 246222 bce. As with the coinage from provincial mints by ptolemy ii, this series lacks leg monograms. Christos in such a way that the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi. The earliest usage of the chi rho symbol is known from bronze coins issued by ptolemy iii in 246222 bce. It is formed by superimposing the first two letters chi and rho of the greek word. Ptolemy iii euergetes macedonian king of egypt britannica.
Bronze pendant chi rho jesus prayer chi rho cross alpha. Ptolemy iii was the eldest son of ptolemy ii philadelphus and his first wife arsinoe i. Many bronze types now believed to be of ptolemy iii are listed in svoronos under ptolemy ii. Ptolemaic bronze denomination series ptolemaic bronze coinage. There is no doubt that the trinity was adopted by catholic. Ptolemaic kingdom of egypt, ptolemy iii euergetes, 246 222 b. The cult of dionysos from the land of the satrae herod, vii iii had a following of satyrs, centaurs and nymphs, all of w h o m are depicted on various coinages of the region. The combination of chi and rho in greek chreston means good. Ilya ancientcoins zlobin added ptolemy iii euergetes 246bc alexandria egypt zeus chi rho greek to ptolemy iii euergetes 246bc alexandria egypt zeus chi rho greek board news.
Eudoxia arcadius wife 401ad authentic ancient roman coin. The chirhos use predates christianity, with chirho found on old greek coins from the time of ptolemy iii 246220 bce, it was also used by greek scholars. Ptolemy iii euergetes benefactor, king of egypt 246221 bc. The egyptians had accepted the ptolemies, a greek macedonian royal family, as the successors to the pharaohs. Evidence of the chi rho on coins appears for the first time. Many of the bronze types now believed to be of ptolemy iii are listed in svoronos under ptolemy ii. The oldest water clock of which there is physical evidence dates to c.
This denomination series consists of 8 coins all with the wellknown chi rho leg monogram and corresponding coins with no monogram rare, not all sizes known. Ptolemy iii euergetes was the third ruler of the ptolemaic dynasty in egypt. Ptolemy iii euergetes 246bc alexandria egypt zeus chirho. Although formed of greek characters, the device or its. These writings were then copied by official scribes, the originals were put into the library, and the copies were. So all up, i dont actually have an answer for you, but ive tried to demonstrate the. Greek scribes used the symbol in the margin to mark passages they considered especially significant or relevant, with the letters chi and rho denoting chreston that means good. The ptolemaic kingdom is very important for the history of egypts coinage because it was. The last and best known ptolomaic ruler was cleopatra.
The ptolemaic kingdom reached the height of its power during his. The chi rho symbol was also used by pagan greek scribes to mark, in the margin, a particularly valuable or relevant passage. Chirho early christian monogram name of christ history. Two versions of constantines vision the bart ehrman blog. Chi rho the symbol has its origin in platos xpagan. Svoronos attributes these to ptolemy ii but the style and parallelism to the ptolemy iii chirho series seem to indicate ptolemy iii is more likely.
Aleph taw is the symbol of god used by constantine i, not. Although formed of greek characters, the device or its separate parts is frequently found serving as an abbreviation in latin text, with endings added appropriate to a latin noun, thus xpo, signifying christo, to christ, the dative form of christus. The liar eusebius convinced early christians that the letters chi and rho xp were the first to letter of christ in greek but, the term christ was an epithetnickname. I read somewhere that the chi rho was on the soldiers shields before constantine. The chi rho is one of the earliest forms of christogram, and is used by some christians. Also, if it was chosen in just some random fashion like you are inferring then what meaning does it have now. Chi rho symbol is an ancient christian symbol, a christogram that is made by overlaying the initial two letters in capital of the greek word christos meaning christ. One of my favorites, constantine i chi rho on helmet. In prechristian times, the chi rho symbol was also to mark a particularly valuable or relevant passage in the margin of a page, abbreviating chreston good. Almost nothing is known of ptolemy s youth before 245, when. Diameter 38 mm maximum height 48 mm eyelet 3,5 mm thickness 3 mm weight is about 30 gramm the chi rho is one of the earliest forms of christogram, and is used by christians.
The chi rho also known as chrismon or sigla is one of the earliest forms of christogram, formed by superimposing the first two capital letters chi and rho of the greek word. Browse the ptolemy iii page with no thumbnail images note. To access the full database of over 5 million records, please consult coinarchives pro. Ancient greek, ptolemaic period 221205 bce, issued by king ptolemy iv, reign of ptolemy iii euergetes 247222 bce. Octadrachm coin portraying king ptolemy iii euergetes the art. The chi rho cornucopia coinage of alexandria is a dominant and prodigious coinage as are most of these. It may have represented the greek word chreston which means useful. Leo i 457ad constantinople rare ae2 ancient roman coin chi. Bust of the deified ptolemy iii right, wearing radiate diadem and aegis.
The sign of the cross has been a symbol of great antiquity. Most references agree that the attribution of all of these coins are to the mid or later part of the reign of ptolemy iii. These might be contemporaneous with either the scarce nomonogram cornucopia types of alexandria or the chi rho series or both. The chi rho symbol as chrest and the archeology of. To participate in the forum you must log in or register. Benefactor macedonian king of egypt, son of ptolemy ii. Diademed head of zeusammon right y, eagle standing left on thunderbolt. His mother and father were arsinoe ii and ptolemy ii philadelphus. When ptolemy iii was young, his mother was disgraced and he was removed from the succession. The temple will be built by messiah yeshua, not the antichrist. Early symbols similar to the chi rho were the staurogram and the ix monogram. However, his father apparently abandoned this first arsinoe to marry his full sister, who was also. Browsing ancient coinage of egypt, ptolemy iii wildwinds.
This symbol was used centuries before it came into use as a christian symbol, again on coins, most notably by ptolemy iii. B eagle with closed wings standing left on thunderbolt, filleted cornucopia left. The earliest usage of the chirho symbol is known from bronze coins issued by ptolemy iii in 246222 bce. Heres a similar coin with chi rho control mark from my collection. Ptolemy earned his nickname euergetes by his generosity bestowed on the egyptian people. Ptolemy iii euergetes was the third king of the ptolemaic dynasty in egypt from 246 to 222 bc. The chi rho can be seen on the egyptian coinage of ptolemy iii, euergetes r. Pronounced as keeroe, the monogram looks to have been formed with the english alphabets x and p. By tradition it is also believed, without concrete evidence, that the much of the collection of rolls was acquired by order of ptolemy iii, who supposedly required all visitors to alexandria to surrender rolls in their possession. Svoronos 965 ptolemy iii ae36, ca 36gm with zeus ammon and the usual eagle reverse with the chi rho monogram in the eagles legs.