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Historical Article

Ionia, Ephesos - Briefly Renamed Arsinoeia



Lysimachos made himself master of Ephesos in 295 BC and shortly thereafter changed the city's name to Arsinoeia in honor of his wife, the daughter of Ptolemy I Soter. After the death of Lysimachos in 280 BC, Arsinoë married her half brother Ptolemy Keraunos and finally her full brother Ptolemy II Philadelphos. She became the first Ptolemaic ruler to enter the Egyptian temples as "temple-sharing goddess," and was revered by the later Ptolemies. [NEW PARAGRAPH] This magistrate's name on this and the Kayhan example have the first letter partially obscured. Nevertheless, this name is recorded as a magistrate on the forepart of stag-palm tree coinage of Ephesos in the mid-late 4th century BC (see Waddington 1527 and Pixodarus pg. 204), so the reading here is almost certainly correct and probably names a descendent or other family member of the earlier Bloson.

IONIA, Ephesos (as Arsinoeia). Circa 288-280 BC. AR Octobol (5.51 gm). Bloson, magistrate. Veiled head of Arsinoë right / ΑΡΣΙ, bow and quiver; monogram and ΒΛΟΣΩΝ to left, bee to right. SNG Kayhan 279; BMC Ionia -; SNG Copenhagen -; Head -.