Dupondius of Antoninus Pius c. 140 - 143

Curator: Here we have a Dupondius of Antoninus Pius, a copper-alloy coin now residing in the Harvard Art Museums collection. Its material and form speak volumes about Roman economic and political systems. Editor: It’s haunting, isn't it? Like holding a tiny ghost of an empire. The worn details hint at countless transactions, each a small drama. Curator: Precisely. Consider the production of these coins. Mining the copper, the skilled labor of die-engravers, the distribution networks – each stage a microcosm of Roman society. Editor: And that profile, so severe and yet…vulnerable somehow. It makes me think about the weight of power, the relentless gaze of history bearing down. Curator: A keen observation. This object bridges the personal and the political, a commodity imbued with imperial authority. The very act of exchange reinforced Roman dominion. Editor: It’s like a tactile poem, this little coin. A whisper of the past, still echoing after all this time. Makes you wonder what stories it could tell, if it could only speak. Curator: Indeed. Examining such objects allows us to reconstruct not just the grand narratives of emperors, but also the daily lives of ordinary citizens in that era. Editor: A treasure, then. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure.