Coin of Alexander III the Great, Macedonia c. 336

Editor: Here we have a coin of Alexander III the Great from Macedonia. It's incredible to think about the human labor involved in producing countless coins like these, not just for trade, but for solidifying power. What strikes you most about this object? Curator: I’m fascinated by how this small coin embodies large-scale economic and social structures. The material itself, likely bronze, and the process of minting--consider the labor and resources required to extract, refine, and strike this metal. How did the coin become a tool of empire? Editor: That's a great point. It's easy to forget the value of the raw materials when we see a finished product. Curator: Exactly. The coin represents power, but it also shows us the means of production behind that power, a complex relationship that defined Alexander’s reign. Editor: This really highlights how something so small can reveal so much about a society's values and the labour that sustains them.