Coin of Hiketas, Tyrant of Syracuse c. 287

Curator: This is a coin from Syracuse, Sicily, a small artifact connected to Hiketas, who ruled as tyrant there in the 3rd century BCE. Editor: It’s incredible, isn't it? To hold something so small that represents the ambitions, power, and perhaps the anxieties, of a ruler. I get a sense of a civilization grappling with how to project its image. Curator: Absolutely, and the coin itself is a carefully constructed piece of propaganda. On one side, you see the head of Arethusa, a nymph associated with Syracuse. The other side bears an image of a chariot. Editor: It's like a tiny stage for Hiketas’s aspirations. I wonder, did the people of Syracuse view this coin as a symbol of stability, or perhaps a reminder of autocratic power? I can only imagine the stories these travelled through. Curator: Coins are always charged with political and social weight, offering us a window into the values and self-representation of a society at a particular moment. This little piece is a great reminder of just that. Editor: Indeed. It's a powerful testament to how art can function as a reflection of, and a participant in, history.