Sestertius of Antoninus Pius c. 2th century

Editor: Here we have the Sestertius of Antoninus Pius. It's aged but still, the bronze feels so substantial. What strikes me is how this coin embodies power in such a compact, tangible form. What can you tell me about its production? Curator: Consider the labor involved – the mining of the metal, the skill of the die engraver, the standardization of the image for mass production. This wasn’t just currency; it was propaganda, circulating the emperor’s image and ideals. How does the material itself influence our understanding of its message? Editor: So the bronze isn't just a material; it's a vehicle for communicating power and ideology across the Roman Empire. Interesting. Curator: Exactly. And its survival, its discovery centuries later, allows us to touch and contemplate the material remnants of that power. Editor: I hadn't considered it that way; now I see coins as more than just artifacts.