Tetradrachm of Patraos of Paeonia c. 335

Curator: This is a tetradrachm, a silver coin, issued by Patraos, a king of Paeonia, an ancient kingdom north of Macedon. Editor: There's a battered beauty to it. Makes you wonder who held it last, what kingdoms it saw rise and fall. Curator: Coins were powerful tools of propaganda, circulating images of rulers to solidify their authority. This one is no different. Editor: The imagery is intense! The rider spearing a fallen soldier just screams power and dominance. But it also feels really personal somehow. Curator: Absolutely. We can read it through a lens of Paeonian resistance against larger empires or as a more localized assertion of power through violence. Editor: It's like a little metallic stage for the human drama of power, isn't it? Holding it connects you to something bigger. Curator: Yes, it reminds us that the personal is always political and the political is always personal. Editor: I guess even money can tell a story, if you're willing to listen.