Antoninianus of Trebonianus Gallus c. 3th century

Curator: This humble coin, an Antoninianus of Trebonianus Gallus, whispers tales of power. Editor: It has the weight of history, certainly. I am drawn to its worn texture, evidence of countless transactions, maybe even a lost empire. Curator: Indeed. Struck during his brief reign, it’s a portrait frozen in time. I feel the burden of leadership etched into his profile, don’t you? Editor: I’m thinking more about the copper and silver alloys that comprised the coin. How the debasement of coinage reflected the instability of the Roman Empire. Curator: Ah, the practicalities. Still, to hold such a small object, yet feel connected to a ruler’s ambitions and a society’s struggles… Editor: A potent reminder that even art, in its humblest form, is rooted in the material world. A world of extraction, labor, and, yes, power. Curator: So it is. A small window into large lives, and the enduring, shifting grounds upon which they were built.