Denarius of Maximus c. 3th century

Curator: Here we have a Denarius of Maximus Caesar, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums and weighing in at 2.86 grams. Editor: It's quite worn, isn’t it? The surface seems smooth from handling, and yet the images are still legible. It gives a sense of endurance, almost. Curator: Absolutely. The imagery on these coins was deliberately chosen to reflect and reinforce the emperor's power, the inscriptions acting as declarations of authority. Editor: I wonder about the metal content and the labor involved in minting these. Was it meant for daily transactions, or primarily for larger state expenditures? Curator: It probably functioned in both spheres. The emperor's image, multiplied across countless coins, became deeply embedded in the cultural consciousness. Editor: Right, so, beyond just being currency, it's also a propaganda tool, and the silver itself represents value extracted through labor and control. Curator: Precisely. Seeing the faces of emperors, even on something as small as a coin, it helped shape and solidify their image within the collective psyche. Editor: So, in the end, this tiny object contains layers of economic, political, and, dare I say, psychological weight. Curator: A tangible link to the past, reminding us that power and symbolism are often inseparable, even within the smallest of objects.