Coin of Neapolis under Philip I c. 244 - 249

Editor: Here we have a coin of Neapolis under Philip I. It's small, about an inch across, and the green patina makes it look like it's been buried for centuries, which of course, it probably has. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The coin’s materiality speaks volumes. The bronze itself, the process of striking it, and the economic and social systems that determined its value are key. Who controlled the mines? Who labored to create it? How was its consumption dictated? Editor: So, it's less about Philip I and more about the system that produced the coin? Curator: Precisely! The coin embodies the material conditions of its time, reflecting power structures and economic realities far beyond a portrait of the emperor. That green patina, that's not just age, it's a record of chemical interactions with the soil, a story of burial and rediscovery. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, as a record of labor and industry. Thanks!