AR Seleukos I, Syria 

Curator: Oh, it's got that ancient glimmer, hasn't it? Almost feels like holding a piece of captured moonlight. Editor: This is a silver coin, specifically an AR Seleukos I from Syria, now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs roughly 12.49 grams. Curator: And you can just feel the hands that traded it, the marketplaces buzzing with whispers and deals... the dreams woven into its very metal. Editor: We see Seleukos I's portrait on one side, quite worn, facing us. The opposite side depicts a figure on a chariot. Curator: The chariot feels like a fleeting moment, a rush of power. I wonder what he imagined as he struck this coin, what story he wanted to tell. Editor: The minting process itself— the labor, the silver mines— tells another story, of resource extraction and the projection of power. Curator: It is amazing how something so small can be so dense with untold sagas. Editor: Indeed, from finance to art, it embodies a critical intersection within the Seleucid Empire.