The Bronzes of Ptolemy II Philadelphus

The study of bronzes from Greco-Roman Egypt offers a wide spectrum of possibilities for researchers in Classical Archaeology and Egyptology alike, but the complexity of many interdisciplinary topics can only be well served through specialized investigations of limited scope. The bronze portrait sculptures of Ptolemy II offer an ideal point of departure for such investigation, since it was during that king’s rule that court artists consciously created art forms that fused the style, subject matter and iconography of the artistic heritage of their native subjects with their own Greek traditions. In a time of relative peace, now able to reap the material rewards of the Oriental conquests of Alexander’s army, the new Ptolemaic regime fused Greco-Macedonian social and political structures into the established, ancient native infrastructure and guided it to a thriving, productive society.