Antoninianus of Volusian c. 251 - 253

Curator: We're looking at an Antoninianus of Volusian from the Harvard Art Museums. What strikes you first about this small object? Editor: The wear, definitely. It’s almost a ghostly impression—you can tell it has been handled countless times. The materiality speaks to its journey through history. Curator: Indeed, that erosion tells a story. And consider this: Volusian ruled for only two years. So, what does this coin, bearing his image, represent about power, legacy, and perhaps even anxiety? Editor: The quick production and dissemination of these coins must have been a huge labor effort across the Empire. Imagine the social organization required to extract the metal, mint the coins, and distribute them. Curator: It really makes you wonder about all the hands through which it has passed, doesn’t it? Editor: It does. A tangible echo from the past.