Coin of Nicomedia under Philip I, the Arab c. 244 - 249

Editor: This is a coin of Nicomedia under Philip I, the Arab. The material itself, its weight and wear, speaks to its history as a unit of exchange. What can we learn from the materiality of this coin? Curator: The coin's copper alloy composition reveals a lot about Roman resource management and trade networks. Consider the labor involved in mining, smelting, and striking these coins, distributed across a vast empire. Are there variations in the metal content compared to coins from Rome itself? Editor: That’s a great point! So the coin isn't just about Philip's image, but about the entire production and economic system. Curator: Precisely! Its value as a symbol is intertwined with the real-world labor and materials that made it. Thinking about the workshops and the skilled artisans who produced this helps us understand its true worth.