Siliqua of Arcadius, Constantinople c. 385

Curator: Here we have a siliqua of Arcadius, minted in Constantinople. Editor: It looks quite worn, almost ghostly. I wonder about the hands it passed through. Curator: Note the careful arrangement of text and image, a deliberate act of power projection. The portrait of Arcadius is framed by his name. Editor: But the material tells its own story. The siliqua’s wear reveals its life as a tool of commerce, a direct connection to the labor of the time. Curator: Indeed, though its formal design speaks to the emperor’s intended message of authority and order. Editor: It's interesting how such a small object reflects the economic reality of a vast empire. Curator: A valuable point. It's given me a new appreciation for the coin's structured iconography. Editor: And I now see it less as a simple object, and more as part of the larger production cycles in Constantinople.