Coin of Agathokles, Tyrant of Syracuse c. 310

Curator: Here we have a coin of Agathokles, Tyrant of Syracuse, weighing 4.43 grams and currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's aged, definitely seen better days. I wonder about the labor involved in producing something so small. Curator: Agathokles was quite the figure, seizing power in Syracuse around 317 BC. This coin would have been a key tool for legitimizing his rule. Editor: Tools of power... I'm thinking about the raw material, likely bronze, and the repetitive work of minting these. Were these made by slaves? Curator: Quite possibly. The imagery, perhaps a portrait of the tyrant himself and a symbolic lion, helped project power and authority. Editor: Right, and the condition speaks volumes. The wear and tear shows constant circulation, tangible proof of its role in daily exchange. Curator: Indeed, it serves as a physical link to a complex political and economic reality of its time. Editor: Exactly. It makes you consider the hands it passed through and the stories it could tell about the material conditions of ancient life.