Coin of Mithradates VI, Amisos (Pontos) c. 2th century

Curator: Up next we have a coin of Mithradates VI, minted in Amisos, an ancient city in Pontos. The coin weighs in at just under 7 grams. Editor: It feels substantial, doesn't it? Like a tiny, weathered portal to another time. I can almost smell the marketplace where it changed hands. Curator: Absolutely. The production and distribution of coinage like this was a complex operation tied to royal power and trade networks. Think of the labor involved in mining, smelting, and striking these coins. Editor: And the image itself! A figure stands, arms outstretched, holding what looks like laurel wreaths. What stories did this little piece buy and tell? Curator: It certainly spoke of Mithradates' ambition and reach. The minting of coinage was a way to project power. Editor: To think, someone clutched this very coin, hoping for a better tomorrow. It's humbling. Curator: Precisely, and a reminder of the tangible connections we have to the past through these objects of material culture. Editor: A pocket-sized epic! It makes me want to write a poem about it.