Semis of Trajan Decius c. 249 - 251

Curator: Up next, we have a Semis of Trajan Decius, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's something undeniably melancholy about its worn surface. It feels like holding a piece of lost history. Curator: The coin's very materiality—the patinated bronze, the evidence of striking and circulation—speaks volumes about its journey through time. It also challenges our notions of high and low art. Editor: I find the composition so striking; the rigid profile of the emperor, the reverse figure rendered with surprising dynamism despite the coin's diminutive scale. Curator: Indeed, the coin served as a powerful tool of imperial propaganda. Its mass production and distribution ensured that Decius' image and message reached every corner of the empire. Editor: Considering the amount of labor that went into the extraction of the metal, the minting and then circulation is really incredible. Curator: Agreed. It's fascinating to consider the cultural and political meanings encoded within its design, and the lasting power that this small object holds even today. Editor: Exactly, it is the artistry and craftsmanship that remain so compelling.