Coin of Apollonia Mordiaion under Gallienus 253 - 268

Editor: This is a coin from Apollonia Mordiaion under Gallienus, currently at the Harvard Art Museums. I’m struck by how much detail is captured in such a small space. What do you see in the coin’s composition? Curator: Consider the coin's two faces. One bears the emperor's bust, adorned with a laurel wreath – a formal symbol of victory and status. The other displays an architectural structure. Notice the lines, the textures, and their semiotic relationship. What might the structure signify in contrast to the bust? Editor: Perhaps power versus the achievements that power enables? It is definitely thought-provoking. Curator: Precisely. The coin’s aesthetic is found in the tension between representation and abstraction, each side contributing to a larger symbolic discourse. Editor: I now see how closely linked the coin's imagery and its function are. Thanks!