Prutah of Herod Archelaus c. 4 - 6

Curator: Looking at this small artifact, I immediately sense the weight of history—it's like holding a tiny echo of an ancient world in my hand. Editor: Indeed. What we have here is a prutah, a bronze coin minted by Herod Archelaus, who ruled Judea around the beginning of the first century. The coin resides at the Harvard Art Museums. Curator: There's something quite evocative about its worn surface and the nearly vanished markings. It feels like a whisper across centuries. Editor: These coins, though seemingly insignificant, were a powerful tool for rulers like Archelaus. Minting them allowed him to control the economy, disseminate his image, and assert his authority. Curator: I find myself pondering the hands it passed through—each person a story, a life lived. It’s a tangible connection to the past, and really makes one think. Editor: Precisely. So much history and cultural context is embedded within the coin's modest size. Curator: And I'm left wondering if these tiny objects ever really imagined the long story they would come to tell. Editor: A humble artifact, but also a potent symbol of power, trade, and daily life. It's a privilege to consider its journey through time.