Coin of Septimius Severus, Heliopolis c. 193 - 211

Curator: Well, this unassuming little disc packs a punch! We're looking at a coin of Septimius Severus, minted in Heliopolis. It’s currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels… secretive. Heavy with the weight of untold stories and long-forgotten transactions. Curator: Absolutely. Coins were instruments of power, spreading the emperor’s image and authority. This one would have circulated locally, reinforcing Roman rule in Heliopolis, now Baalbek, Lebanon. Editor: It's amazing to think of all the hands this passed through – farmers, merchants, soldiers, all touched by Septimius Severus through this little bit of metal. Curator: Indeed. A tangible link to a vast empire, shrunk down to something you could hold in your palm. It makes you wonder about the echoes of power still resonating within such objects. Editor: It does make you consider those lingering shadows of history, doesn't it?