Triobol of Ptolemy I c. 305

Editor: Here we have the Triobol of Ptolemy I, a small golden coin minted by Ptolemy I Soter. Its size is striking. What can you tell me about its significance? Curator: Consider this coin as a material object, a product of its time. The gold itself, where did it come from? Who mined it? Its value represents labor and power structures. Editor: That’s fascinating. It makes me think about who had access to this type of currency. Curator: Exactly! The imagery, too, becomes a tool of economic and social control. The portrait, the eagle... all part of a carefully constructed message embedded in the coin's materiality. It served to reinforce Ptolemy's authority. Editor: I hadn't considered how the act of production and circulation impacts the artwork's meaning. Curator: It's a reminder that art is never created in a vacuum. Even something as seemingly simple as a coin reveals complex social and economic realities.