As of Antoninus Pius c. 159 - 160

Curator: So, here we have "As of Antoninus Pius," a coin dating back to, well, Antoninus Pius's time, now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. What's your initial take? Editor: It's… humbling, isn't it? To hold something so small that once signified power, authority. It's heavy, burdened by history. Curator: Absolutely. Think about its journey, what hands it’s passed through. It's a tangible link to a society grappling with its own complexities of governance and identity. Editor: And the material itself—bronze, right? Humble, yet enduring. A reminder that even empires fade, but some traces remain. Curator: Precisely. Even its wear and tear tells a story of circulation, of value exchanged. It’s a small object holding monumental weight, wouldn’t you say? Editor: I do. It's like holding a whisper from the past, a constant memento mori.