Dupondius or As of Faustina II 145 - 146

Editor: Here we have a "Dupondius or As of Faustina II," author also Faustina II. Looking at its worn surface and teal patina, I can’t help but wonder about all the hands it passed through. What stories do you think it could tell, if it could talk? Curator: Oh, if only coins could whisper their histories! To me, this little disc embodies power and propaganda. Faustina II, as empress, was savvy about image-making. It's like a miniature billboard declaring "We are Rome, hear us roar!" What feelings does the portrait evoke in you? Editor: I guess I see a kind of detached, almost regal indifference. Makes you wonder what life was like for her, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely! Power isolates, but it also immortalizes. Think of this coin as a whisper across millennia, a testament to enduring influence, even in tarnished bronze. Editor: So, it’s not just an old coin, but a little echo of history. Curator: Exactly! And perhaps a reminder that even empires fade, but stories persist.