Denarius of L. Rustius, Rome c. 76 BCE

Curator: Let’s explore this Denarius of L. Rustius, a Roman coin, held here at the Harvard Art Museums. It is small, only 3.95 grams, but its surfaces are rich with symbolic imagery. Editor: I am immediately struck by its starkness. The profiles are so sharply rendered, and the metal, though worn, still gleams faintly. It’s like holding a tiny piece of history. Curator: Absolutely. The choice of silver as the material is significant. Silver was directly linked to wealth and power in Roman society. This coin was a medium of exchange but also a potent symbol. Editor: I am fascinated by how such an object would have circulated—the hands it passed through, the transactions it facilitated, and the stories of those people. Curator: The figure of Roma on one side speaks to the power of the empire. While the ram on the other might relate to family lineage or agricultural prosperity. It's a powerful narrative, compressed onto a tiny surface. Editor: It makes you reflect on how something so small could embody such complex layers of social and political meaning. Curator: Indeed, studying its materials and images is key to understanding its role in Roman society. Editor: Thinking about this coin, I see reflections of our present relationship to material and power structures.