Coin of Perge under Philip II 247 - 249

Curator: Here we have a coin from Perge under Philip II. Editor: It's a humbling object, really, almost lost to time. I find it difficult to discern the images it contains. Curator: These coins were utilitarian objects; currency greased the wheels of power. Philip II likely had workshops producing these en masse. The materiality, the metal itself, speaks to resources, extraction, and labor. Editor: But the imagery! Philip strategically uses these to reinforce his authority, doesn't he? The symbols chosen would resonate deeply with the people of Perge. I see the echo of myths and power structures. Curator: Yes, the visual language is intertwined with economic and social realities. The coin’s weight tells us something about its value, and by extension, the value placed on labor and goods at the time. Editor: Even its worn state is evocative. It's history made tangible, all those transactions, all those hands that held it. A tiny window into their world. Curator: A testament to how objects can be understood in multiple dimensions, certainly. Editor: Indeed. It's a small thing, but it holds so much.