Coin of Antioch on the Orontes under Philip I c. 244 - 249

Curator: This is a coin from Antioch on the Orontes under Philip I, also known as Philip the Arab. It weighs around 12.9 grams. Editor: It looks quite worn, but I'm struck by the figure's determined profile, even through the patina of age. Curator: The symbolism would have been very deliberate. The portrait of Philip I, representing imperial power, would have conveyed authority and legitimacy. Editor: And think about the bronze itself—the materiality of power. This wasn't some abstract idea, it was a circulating piece of metal, subject to wear, trade, and the everyday economic life of the city. Curator: The coin speaks volumes about how rulers seek to imprint their image and ideas upon the collective consciousness. Editor: Absolutely. It also reminds us how even the grandest ambitions are eventually reduced to traces, surviving only through their material legacy. Curator: A fascinating glimpse into the past, indeed. Editor: Indeed, a humble material, yet so revealing.