Coin of Pella under the Empress Otacilia Severa c. 3th century

Curator: Look at this remarkable artifact, a "Coin of Pella under the Empress Otacilia Severa" residing here at Harvard. Immediately, I see a kind of beautiful decay, a slow transformation written into the very bronze, almost as if time itself is an artistic collaborator. Editor: Curator: It's fascinating how material degradation becomes part of the object's story, isn't it? Considering its original context, the minting process, the very labor involved – this coin represents not just imperial power, but also a specific economic and social system at work. Editor: I imagine someone held it, spent it, maybe even loved it. A tiny portal into another life, another era. A humble coin, but it speaks volumes, doesn’t it? Curator: Indeed. And, materially speaking, the coin’s weight hints at its value and intended use. Editor: There's a strange beauty in this object, in the way it forces us to consider the intersection of power, value, and everyday existence. Curator: Precisely. It makes you ponder all those unseen hands, doesn’t it?