Coin of Antioch under Philip I and II c. 244 - 249

Curator: This is a coin of Antioch under Philip I and II, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums and weighing just over 19 grams. Editor: It's like holding history in your hand, isn’t it? I feel a sense of weight, both literal and symbolic—all that power compressed into this small bronze disc. Curator: Precisely! The production of coinage was a highly controlled process, a means of disseminating not only currency but also imperial ideology. Editor: And you can see the wear on it, the grime...it’s been places, exchanged hands, bought and sold, witnessing stories we can only imagine. Curator: The material itself—bronze—speaks to accessibility, not the elite precious metals, but something for broader circulation in the Roman Empire’s eastern reaches. Editor: It's funny, isn't it? Something meant to solidify power, now a fragile relic whispering about time's erosion. Curator: Indeed. The material culture around even the most seemingly mundane objects reveals so much about the structures of its era. Editor: Looking at it now, I can't help but wonder, what future stories will our everyday objects tell?