Tetradrachm of Alexandria under Salonina c. 259 - 260

Curator: This ancient coin, a Tetradrachm of Alexandria, features Salonina. There's an undeniable weight to it, not just its 10.96 grams, but a historical gravity. Editor: It feels so…small. Frail, almost. Like a whispered secret from an empire. What do you make of the depicted eagle? Curator: The eagle represents imperial power, but cast in humble silver, like a contract made with everyday hands. This wasn't some golden proclamation. This circulated. Editor: So, in essence, a piece of propaganda, yet also a tool—touched, worn, undeniably functional. It's fascinating how its value lies not just in representation, but in material reality. Curator: Absolutely. It speaks of both ambition and necessity—beauty hammered into a currency of life. Editor: It makes me wonder about the lives it passed through, the goods it purchased. Curator: A tangible link to human endeavor, rendered in miniature. A tiny, yet potent world. Editor: Seeing it now, I realize how much it bridges then and now, in more ways than I first imagined.