Coin of Phokas c. 603 - 610

Curator: Here we have a copper coin of Phokas. There's something so tactile about it, even through glass. Editor: It looks like it’s been through a lot. I immediately wonder about the hands it passed through—so much life imprinted. Curator: Absolutely. Think of the markets, the transactions, the daily grind symbolized in just 4.57 grams of copper. The very stuff of empire. Editor: And someone, likely many someones, hammered this. A small piece made to represent immense power—the face, the stamp. It's almost comical. Curator: Comical in a way, but also deeply human. We imbue these objects with our hopes, our fears, our very selves. Editor: I see the grime and immediately think of the workers and the empire built on their backs. Curator: Yes, a small emblem of great meaning. Editor: An ancient story told in the simplest medium.