The son of Ptolemy II and his queen Arsinoe I, Ptolemy III acceded to the throne in 246 B.C. and married Berenice II, the daughter of king Magas of Cyrene. Ptolemy invaded Syria to support the claim of the son of his sister, Berenice Syra, to the Seleucid throne. This invasion soon turned into a war of vengeance after rivals murdered them. Ptolemy is said to have marched through the Seleucid Empire as far as Bactria, although extensive military conquests there were doubtful. He returned to Egypt to handle an uprising in the delta, and defeated an attack by Seleucus II in Coele-Syria. Eventually, peace was established between the two rulers with Ptolemy III receiving territory in Asia Minor and Thrace. Egypt remained at peace for the rest of Ptolemy’s reign but this led to a dangerous and unfortunate weakening of military strength. Upon his death in 221 B.C. his son Ptolemy IV succeeded him. This artistically rendered Ptolemaic coin, with its elegant gold frame, invites us to travel back in time, our imaginations conjuring up ancient life with all its complexity, intrigue and splendor.