Hemidrachm of Philip III of Macedonia, Marathos c. 323

Curator: Look at this Hemidrachm of Philip III of Macedonia. Such a tiny, weighty thing. I imagine the hands it's passed through. Editor: It’s quite worn, isn't it? The silver dulled, edges softened. Gives a sense of its long journey through time and the many hands that held it, each with their own story. Curator: Absolutely. And you can see the portrait—that’s likely Philip himself, right? His power, distilled into this little object… Editor: Indeed. It is a symbol of authority, but also an instrument of economic control and a form of propaganda. Whose story does it tell, and whose does it obscure? Curator: Ooh, that's a thought. Well, I suppose I'll be pondering the weight of history a bit more today. Editor: As will I. Until our next encounter with the past.