Tetradrachm of Antioch under Philip II c. 247 - 249

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this Tetradrachm of Antioch under Philip II, currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The immediate impression is one of age and use; you can almost feel the wear from centuries of handling. Curator: The composition of the coin is quite interesting. On one side, we see the portrait of Philip II, meticulously rendered in profile. Editor: It's fascinating to consider how these coins, as economic tools, also functioned as portable propaganda, disseminating the emperor's image and power. The material itself, likely silver alloyed with other metals, speaks to the resources and trade networks of the time. Curator: Absolutely. And on the reverse, the eagle, a symbol of Roman power and divinity, is rendered with a striking frontality that commands attention. Editor: Considering the labor involved in minting these coins – the mining, the refining, the engraving of the dies – it offers a tangible link to the lives of the people who produced it. Curator: Indeed, a potent reminder that aesthetic choices are invariably bound up with questions of power and resources. Editor: A fascinating intersection of art, commerce, and empire.