Coin of Nikomedeia under Antoninus Pius c. 2th century

Curator: Let's discuss this Coin of Nikomedeia, minted during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Editor: There's a certain melancholic beauty in its aged surface, a sort of green-brown patina. It speaks to the passage of time, the way materiality shifts. Curator: Indeed. Consider how Roman imperial power disseminated images through standardized currency. Each coin served as propaganda, reinforcing the emperor’s image and authority across vast territories, impacting subjectivities then and now. Editor: The copper alloy provides not only durability for circulation but also signals the types of labor extracted to create it—the mines, the artisans crafting the die, the everyday exchange. Curator: And the portrait of Antoninus Pius himself—it presents an idealized masculinity, connecting him to a lineage of emperors while also distancing him from other groups. Editor: It's also remarkable how such a small object embodies so much social and economic history through its very form. Curator: Understanding its cultural purpose alongside its material existence gives us a fuller grasp of its legacy. Editor: Yes, looking at the object through the lens of labor and materials reveals a tangible connection to a complex historical era.