coin of Alexander Severus 

Curator: Here we have a coin of Alexander Severus, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs about 16 grams. Editor: It looks like it's been through the wars, literally! That green patina gives it such a ghostly, ancient presence. Curator: Indeed. As a formal object, the coin presents a study in contrasts – the incised portrait versus the abstract lettering, the copper medium now transformed by time and oxidation. Editor: I'm struck by how the portrait, despite its wear, hints at a personality, a fleeting glimpse of the emperor's essence across millennia. Like a little whisper from history. Curator: Coins like this served a practical function but also acted as propaganda. The emperor's image reinforced his authority. The very design speaks to power. Editor: And yet, holding something so small, so fragile, makes me think about the impermanence of power, how empires rise and crumble into dust. Curator: Precisely. It's a potent reminder of the cyclical nature of history, etched into a humble coin. Editor: Gives a new meaning to spare change, doesn't it?