Stater of the Orescii, from the Asyut Hoard, Egypt, 1968 c. 530

Curator: This is a Stater of the Orescii, discovered in the Asyut Hoard of Egypt in 1968, and now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs just under 9 grams. Editor: It’s so small, yet its surface teems with implied violence. The coin feels weighty with untold stories of the past. Curator: Indeed. On one side we see a hero battling a lion, a potent symbol of strength and courage in ancient cultures. Editor: And the incuse square on the reverse—almost brutalist in its simplicity—perhaps signifies a societal structure or territory under Orescii control? Curator: It speaks to a system of power, yes, but also a standardization of value. Currency as a symbolic language. Editor: It makes me think about the legacy of conquest embedded even within the smallest artifacts. Curator: A humbling thought, considering its journey through hands and empires. Editor: Absolutely, a small object brimming with socio-political meaning.