Coin of Colybrassos under Tranquillina c. 238 - 244

Curator: We're looking at a Coin of Colybrassos under Tranquillina, a piece held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels weighty, doesn't it? Time and use have softened the details, yet its essence endures. Curator: Precisely. The obverse presents a portrait of Tranquillina, while the reverse depicts a figure, likely a deity, perhaps embodying abundance. Editor: I’m fascinated by the processes behind these everyday objects. The labor involved, the casting, the circulation of value. It speaks volumes about economics and governance. Curator: Consider, too, the semiotic density embedded within the image. The deliberate encoding of power and prosperity through carefully chosen visual signs. Editor: Absolutely, but it is also the tangible expression of the material culture from which it emerged. One can imagine who handled it, and where it traveled. Curator: Indeed, both its physical form and its symbolic register provide access into understanding its historical era. Editor: A small object, yet a powerful reminder of the intersection between production and symbolism.