Coin of Magnentius 351 - 353

Curator: Oh, it looks like something pulled from the earth, doesn't it? A relic whispering stories of empires long past. Editor: Indeed. This is a coin of Magnentius, located in the Harvard Art Museums. Coins like this are fascinating bits of political messaging, really. Curator: It feels almost like a dream, the way the details have softened over time. What symbols do you see jumping out? Editor: Well, there's the emperor himself, of course, but also powerful imagery meant to legitimize his rule. Coins were propaganda writ small, circulated widely. Curator: Yes, a way to get the message out. And to hold such a tiny, weighty thing... to imagine it exchanged, maybe dropped in the dirt, found again centuries later. It’s a beautiful kind of immortality. Editor: Absolutely. The coin bears witness to the ebb and flow of power, reminding us that even empires crumble. Curator: It leaves me wondering about the hands it has passed through, the stories it could tell if it only could speak. Editor: The coin connects us to an emperor and his people from over a millennium ago, and that's a powerful thing.