Follis of Diocletian, Carthage c. 298 - 299

Curator: Our spotlight is on the Follis of Diocletian, a Roman coin. It's a small bronze disc, really, yet feels so weighty, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. The color and texture alone—that warm, earthy brown, the pitted surface—it evokes a sense of time and history worn into it. Curator: Exactly. On one side, we see Diocletian’s profile, his gaze resolute. The other features a figure, likely a representation of abundance. Editor: I see balance. Diocletian, the ruler, and beside him a goddess, embodying the Empire's prosperity and, perhaps, his own ambition. Curator: It's interesting to consider this not just as money, but as propaganda, a tiny billboard declaring Diocletian’s power and promising good fortune. Editor: I suppose, even in something so functional, Rome needed to leave its mark. It makes you wonder about the hands this little piece of metal has passed through. Curator: It's a small thing, but it speaks volumes. Editor: Indeed. More than just currency, it's a tangible whisper from the past.