Tetradrachm of Akko-Ptolemais under Caracalla c. 198s - 208s

Curator: Here we see a silver tetradrachm, a coin minted in Akko-Ptolemais under the reign of Caracalla. It is currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's aged beautifully! The wear and tear give it such a tactile, weighty quality, like you could feel the history in your hands. Curator: It’s fascinating how coins like these were instruments of political power, widely circulated and viewed by countless individuals across the Roman Empire. They are small-scale propaganda, really. Editor: Absolutely, and the material itself, the silver, speaks volumes about the economic and social structures of the time. Where did the silver come from? Who mined it? The production process itself would tell an important story. Curator: Indeed. The imagery, featuring Caracalla on one side and a Roman eagle on the other, reinforces imperial authority and Roman identity within this Eastern province. Editor: Thinking about the labor involved… the die engravers, the minters... each coin represents a massive, complex system of extraction, production and dissemination. Curator: It really does bring the period to life. A glimpse into the economy and political landscape of the time. Editor: It makes you appreciate the sheer scale and complexity of the world they inhabited.