Coin of Ptolemy, I Egypt c. 294

Curator: Here we have a coin of Ptolemy I Soter, dating from around the dawn of the Hellenistic period in Egypt. It weighs about 25 grams. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by how weathered it looks, yet the profiles are still so strong. A tangible link to a vanished world, no? Curator: Indeed. The eagle, of course, is a symbol of power, royalty, and divinity, a common motif in the iconography of rulers. Editor: And the way it perches, almost possessively, on Zeus's thunderbolt—a pretty clear visual claim to authority. Ptolemy wasn't shy, was he? It’s like a personal brand, hammered into metal. Curator: Quite. He cleverly associated himself with both Alexander the Great, whose image often appeared on coins, and the established divine order. It’s shrewd propaganda through iconography. Editor: I love that these tiny objects could shout so loudly. Pondering its journey through time, and the hands it must have passed through, makes me think of the weight of history it carries. Curator: It's fascinating how such a small artifact can open up such a wide vista onto history.