Coin of Arcadius (?), Antioch 383 - 392

Curator: Here we have a coin, likely minted in Antioch under the reign of Arcadius, an emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Editor: Oh, it looks like something a sparrow might use as a shield. So small, weathered… yet carries a whole world on its surface. Curator: Indeed. Coins like these were instrumental in projecting imperial power and ideology throughout the empire. Think of them as miniature billboards. Editor: Right, little pocket-sized propaganda pieces. I see a figure, almost ghostly. It feels poignant, this whisper of history in my hand. Curator: The imagery, though worn, would have been instantly recognizable. These coins facilitated not just trade, but also the circulation of symbolic value. Editor: Makes you wonder, doesn't it? What hands has it passed through? What stories did it silently witness? It is more than currency; it's a time capsule. Curator: Precisely. Its survival speaks volumes about the enduring power of material culture and its role in shaping our understanding of the past. Editor: Yes, and just imagine the artisan who carefully etched this. A fleeting moment of creation reverberating through millennia. Beautiful, isn’t it?