Sestertius of Gordianus III 

Editor: Here we have a Sestertius of Gordianus III, a bronze coin. It feels weighty, substantial. What strikes me is how this object, so small, was used to facilitate trade and power. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a confluence of labor and materiality. The coin's bronze speaks to resource extraction and skilled craftsmanship. Consider the social relations embedded in its production: who mined the metal, who designed the die, and whose hands did it pass through? Editor: So, you're less focused on Gordian III's image and more on the hands that made the coin? Curator: Precisely. The image of power is secondary to the means of its creation and circulation. This coin represents a whole network of production and consumption. Editor: That gives me a new appreciation for something I had previously only viewed as a historical portrait. Curator: Thinking about labor and resources really changes how we understand the past.