Coin of Gotarzes II of Parthia c. 38 - 51

Curator: We're looking at a coin of Gotarzes II of Parthia, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a small object, aren't they always, but teeming with historical significance. Editor: It looks incredibly worn, the material speaks of countless transactions, journeys, and probably a fair amount of political maneuvering. You can practically feel the history embedded within its patinated surface. Curator: Absolutely. Coins like this were vital tools for rulers like Gotarzes, broadcasting power and legitimizing their reign through standardized imagery and inscriptions across the empire. Editor: And to think about the labor involved! The mining, the refining, the engraving of the dies. Each stage reflecting the societal structure and economic realities of the time. Curator: Indeed. They reflect the power dynamics. The imagery served as propaganda, reinforcing the ruler's authority and divine right. Editor: Well, and the daily lives of ordinary people who used these coins. What could they buy? What did it cost to live? What was the price of bread? Curator: Considering all of this, it transforms from just a small piece of metal into a window into a lost world. Editor: Exactly, the materiality connects us to the past in a surprisingly immediate way.