Coin of Ptolemy III of Egypt c. 246

Editor: Here we have a coin of Ptolemy III of Egypt. It’s quite weathered, but I can make out some details. What strikes you about this coin? Curator: The material itself is key. Bronze, relatively cheap, meant wider distribution. Consider the labor: the mines, the smelting, the engraving of the die. Each step represents a layer of Ptolemaic control and resource management. Editor: So, it's not just currency but a statement of power? Curator: Precisely. The eagle, a symbol often associated with power, combined with Ptolemy's image, was a propaganda tool, consumed and circulated by the masses. What can one coin tell us about an empire? Editor: I never thought about a coin carrying so much weight! Curator: Materiality shapes meaning.