Stater of Pnu[--], King of Cyprus c. 510

Curator: This is a Stater, a coin, from the reign of King Pnu[--] of Cyprus. Editor: It's a little silvery world, worn smooth with age, but still holding stories, I think. Curator: Precisely. Think of the silver itself, mined, refined, then struck with the symbols of royal power and commerce. The very act of creating currency is a social act. Editor: And the image, a boat, perhaps? It feels like a whispered promise of trade, of journeys undertaken, a tactile link to an ancient mariner's hope. Curator: It speaks to the Cypriot reliance on trade. The circulation of this coin would have facilitated not just exchange, but also the dissemination of power and ideology. Editor: I love imagining the hand that held this, what goods or dreams it purchased; it's a silent witness to fleeting moments of prosperity and survival. Curator: It's remarkable how something so small and easily overlooked can reveal so much about material culture and the operations of power. Editor: Absolutely! Holding a piece of the past like this makes history feel like something you could touch—a tangible connection.