Coin of Side? under Antoninus Pius? 

Curator: We're looking at a coin, likely from Side during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Its current weight is around 7.41 grams. Editor: It looks like a little portal to the past, dark and mysterious. The details are worn, but you can still sense the weight of history. Curator: Precisely! The production of coinage was central to the administration and economy of the Roman Empire. The materiality of the bronze speaks to its value within systems of trade and taxation. Editor: It's amazing to think about how many hands it passed through, the stories it could tell. I can almost feel the pulse of an ancient marketplace just looking at it. Curator: Absolutely, from the mining of the ore to the striking of the coin, it embodies the labor and resources mobilized by the empire. Editor: What’s most striking is imagining its journey, the lives it touched—a tangible whisper from a civilization long gone. Curator: Indeed, a humble object revealing layers of ancient production and exchange. Editor: A small coin with a vast story, truly.