Coin of Rabbel II of Nabataea 40 - 70

Curator: Here we have a Coin of Rabbel II of Nabataea, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums, offering a glimpse into the economy and rulership of that ancient kingdom. Editor: It looks like a relic pulled straight from the earth, doesn't it? Green with age, pitted, yet somehow still whispering tales. Curator: Indeed. Coins like these were powerful statements. The image of Rabbel II would have reinforced his authority. Editor: To think, someone clutched this, bartered with it, its weight in their palm... Did they imagine their king's face so close? Curator: Coinage served as propaganda, certainly, but also as a vital component of trade networks. Editor: There's such a feeling of permanence, isn't there? I mean this little coin outlived the empire itself, like a stubborn weed. Curator: Precisely, it's a potent reminder that empires rise and fall, but artifacts can endure, speaking to us across millennia. Editor: It's a heavy thought for something so light. Makes you wonder what trinkets of our time will survive and mystify those who come after.