Coin (AE3) of Constantine I, Siscia 337

Curator: Here we have a coin, an AE3 of Constantine I, minted in Siscia. Editor: It feels like looking at something dredged from the bottom of the sea. It's incredible that such a small object carries so much history. Curator: Absolutely. As a medium of exchange, this coin speaks to economic power, but it's also an object of propaganda, bearing the image of the emperor. Editor: Propaganda indeed, but who really benefits from that image? The coin itself, meant to circulate among the masses, literally embodies power structures. How did the average person regard the imperial image in their daily lives? Curator: Perhaps as a constant, unavoidable reminder. It's funny, isn't it? Art shrunk down, commodified, and yet imbued with so much symbolic weight. Editor: And a reminder that even the smallest things can carry the weight of empire, then and now. Curator: I like that—a tiny mirror reflecting enormous forces. Editor: Exactly, and maybe questioning whose image is on our coins today.