Coin of Antiochos VI Dionysos of Syria c. 145

Curator: Here we have a coin of Antiochos VI Dionysos of Syria. It's a tiny thing, about the weight of a paperclip. Editor: Worn smooth by time, and yet it carries echoes of a civilization, a ruler. I find it beautiful, almost haunting. Curator: The design includes Antiochus seated on a throne, and the inscription on the other side is in Greek. Editor: The material degradation interests me. The patina suggests bronze or copper, altered chemically by centuries of burial. Curator: It’s a tangible link to a distant past, a king who lived and breathed and minted this very coin. Editor: Indeed, and now reduced to a relic, its value measured by its symbolic weight more than its materiality. Curator: It makes you wonder about the stories it could tell. Editor: Perhaps a reminder of the inevitable decay of all things, empires included. Fascinating, really.