Stater of the Koinon of Thessaly 48 BCE-47 BCE

Curator: This is a Stater of the Koinon of Thessaly, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: The worn surface suggests a long and busy life in circulation; imagine the hands it passed through! Curator: Exactly. The imagery is quite revealing. On one side, we see Zeus, a symbol of authority and divine power. Editor: And the process of striking these, the skilled labor involved in die-making, speaks to the political and economic organization of the Thessalian Koinon. Curator: Precisely. The figure on the reverse is Athena, perhaps, further reinforcing a sense of wisdom and civic virtue. These symbols acted as cultural messaging. Editor: Right, but the materiality here too, the weight of the silver, its inherent value...all intertwined with the message. It’s more than just propaganda. Curator: I agree, the weight of symbolism and the value of the silver—fascinating how intertwined they become in an object like this. Editor: Indeed, a potent reminder of how much meaning can be pressed into a small piece of metal.