coin of Allectus 

Curator: This coin of Allectus, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums, strikes me as profoundly melancholic. There's a tangible sense of impermanence. Editor: Indeed. Considering its materiality, one can read this object as a testament to power. Note the inscription, the controlled profile—visual markers intended to convey authority and permanence. Curator: But isn't that the irony? The very effort to immortalize Allectus through this medium underscores the ephemeral nature of his reign, particularly when viewed through the lens of semiotics. Editor: Perhaps. Though the coin's survival offers a counter-argument; it speaks not only of Allectus, but also of enduring systems of exchange and representation. Curator: Well, it makes me think of the stories each individual coin could tell us if it could talk. Editor: It is a silent witness, a fragment offering glimpses into a distant past.