Coin of Samos under Philip II c. 244 - 249

Editor: This is a coin from Samos under Philip II. It's small, unassuming, but there's power in what it represents. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, consider the image itself. Philip II, King of Macedon, used coinage as a propaganda tool. Circulating these coins, with his image, established his power and projected his influence throughout the region. Editor: So, it's less about the monetary value, and more about visibility? Curator: Exactly. Coins like these became visual symbols of his reign, a way to communicate his authority to a wider audience. The distribution of such coins can tell us a lot about trade routes and power dynamics at the time. What do you think the impact of such strategies would have been? Editor: I hadn't considered that coins could be so politically charged. I’ll definitely look at coinage in a new light now.