Coin of Aretas IV and Shaqilat I of Nabataea c. 9 - 40

Curator: Here we have a coin of Aretas IV and Shaqilat I of Nabataea, currently held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It’s amazing how much history is held within this single, weathered object! The weight of 5.1 grams feels almost deceptive. Curator: Indeed. This coin offers insights into Nabataean power structures and gender roles. Shaqilat I wasn't just a queen consort; she wielded significant authority. Editor: To consider the labour—the mining and smelting of metals, the die-making, the striking of the coin—it gives a sense of the complex systems at play. Curator: Absolutely, and the depiction of both rulers, a rare occurrence, challenges patriarchal norms of the period. It symbolizes a co-regency, or at least, a visual assertion of one. Editor: It is a powerful symbol of a society’s wealth and production, reflecting the material conditions of its time. Curator: Yes, an incredible object that challenges our understanding of power. Editor: It certainly makes you consider what value we assign to objects in our own era.