Coin (AE2) of Valentinian II, Antioch 383 - 388

Curator: We're looking at a coin, specifically an AE2 of Valentinian II, crafted in Antioch. It weighs a mere 4.65 grams. Editor: Worn, definitely, but there's a haunted beauty about it. It feels heavy with the past despite its size. Curator: Consider how the production and distribution of these coins were essential to Roman power structures, facilitating trade, taxation, and control of labor across the empire. Editor: Yes, but beyond the state, someone held this, used it, perhaps lost it. Did they buy bread, or passage on a ship? So many possibilities whispered in its verdigris. Curator: Indeed, the coin circulated as a tangible representation of the emperor’s authority, its materiality a symbol of Roman economic might and social order. Editor: It's amazing to think that something so small could carry so much weight – both literally and metaphorically. Curator: Precisely, analyzing this coin gives us insights into the labor and material resources mobilized by the Roman state. Editor: I suppose for me, it’s a portal, and I’m stepping through.