Coin

Editor: This is a coin featuring Faustina I. It's undated, but housed at Harvard. The wear and patina speak volumes. What can you tell me about its creation and use? Curator: We can look at this coin as a mass-produced object that facilitated trade and projected imperial power. The very material, likely bronze, speaks to resource extraction and labor. How might its circulation have shaped perceptions of Faustina I? Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn’t considered how something so small could be tied to such grand systems. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Examining the materiality of everyday objects often reveals the complexities of the past.