Coin, possibly of Severus Alexander c. 3th century

Editor: So, this is a coin, possibly of Severus Alexander. Seeing it here, aged and worn, I immediately think about power and the stories it tells. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a potent symbol of Roman imperial power intersecting with identity and economic control. Consider the image itself - who was represented and why? How did this coin function within the broader social and political narratives of the time? Editor: That makes me think about whose faces we choose to put on currency today and what messages that sends. Curator: Exactly. And who is excluded? The coin isn’t just money; it's a propaganda tool, a marker of Roman dominance, and a statement about who holds value in that society. It demands we consider whose stories are told, and whose are erased.