weight 3,69gr. ; bronze Ø 15mm.

obv. Ram running to left, head turned back to right.
rev. Pair of scales with two pellets below, countermark with helmeted head right.
countermark: ′helmeted bust right′ on the reverse

Nekht-her-hebet or Nectanebo II for the Greeks is the last independent ruler of Pharaonic Egypt belonging to the XXX dynasty. Nectanebo II succeeded Teos, the son of Nectanebo I. With the support of Agesilaus, king of Sparta, Nectanebo was proclaimed king at the instigation of Tjahépimou, Teos brother and father of the new pharaoh. The new monarch is facing a revolt of the nome of Mendes, faovorable sovereign of the XXIX dynasty. Nectanébo II overcomes the revolt, but soon the new Achaemenid king Artaxerxes III Ochos, from 351 BC began a first campaign before reconquer Egypt in 344-343 BC with an army of 300,000 men and 300 galleys. The Persian monarch invaded the delta and manages to Memphis that Nectanebo II must evacuate. He finds refuge in Upper Egypt where he reigned until 343 BC.

According to Egyptian belief the heart of the deceased was placed on scales to determine whether his soul could enter the afterlife. In all probability, however, the reverse type does not refer directly to the judgment of souls. The balance was a symbol of Ma′at, the goddess of truth and the mother of Amun. Since pharaohs claimed to rule with and by Ma′at, the scales here would seem to constitute an assertion by Nektanebo that his rule was legitimate, an assertion all the more necessary in view of the irregularity of his ascension.

cf. Triton Auction VIII, lot 570 in vf (3,750 USD + 15%)

BMC- ; SNG.Copenhagen- ; Weiser, p. 16, 1 ; Howgego pl.9,192     RR
Very attractive specimen with dark patina. Very rare.
vf