AR Severus Alexander 

Curator: Here we have a coin, an AR Severus Alexander housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: I find it fascinating how such a small object carries such weight, you know? It's almost like holding a tiny piece of an empire. Curator: Absolutely. Coins like these, minted with the image of Severus Alexander, were carefully designed for mass communication, projecting the emperor's power and legitimacy throughout the Roman realm. Editor: It really is a form of propaganda, isn’t it? A ruler captured in miniature, destined for pockets and purses. It’s funny to think of an emperor ending up as pocket change. Curator: Precisely. And the figure on the reverse, likely a representation of a deity, reinforces the emperor's divine mandate to rule. Editor: Makes you wonder, what does our pocket change say about us? Curator: Indeed, a thought-provoking question. This coin whispers of a world both grand and intimate.