Coin of the Epeirote Republic c. 238

Editor: Here we have a coin from the Epeirote Republic, now housed at the Harvard Art Museums. What symbols do you see embedded within its worn surface? Curator: This coin echoes a time when images were potent carriers of identity. I see the eagle, symbol of Zeus and of power, yet also a reminder of human ambition and its inevitable decline. Doesn’t the coin’s very erosion mirror the fate of republics? Editor: That's a compelling thought about decline being embedded in the coin itself. Thanks!