Tetradrachm of Alexander I Balas c. 150

Curator: Here we have a Tetradrachm of Alexander I Balas, a silver coin weighing 14.04 grams. Editor: It’s so small, yet feels monumental. The profile seems to stare right through you. Curator: It's fascinating to consider the labor involved in the die-cutting and striking of such a coin, and its role in commerce. Silver was a highly prized material. Editor: And the eagle! A powerful symbol of kingship and divine authority, rendered so crisply. You can almost feel its piercing gaze. Curator: Its circulation would have facilitated not just trade but the spread of imagery legitimizing Balas' rule; look at the controlled visual language. Editor: Beyond propaganda, the eagle speaks to a timeless quest for power, a connection to the heavens. It really stirs something primal, doesn’t it? Curator: It's a study in the practical applications of visual rhetoric through crafted, tangible objects. Editor: Looking at it, one can't help but see echoes of empires that have risen and fallen.