Denarius of Severus Alexander c. 222

Curator: Here we have a Denarius of Severus Alexander, a piece from the Harvard Art Museums' collection. Editor: Immediately, the worn surface speaks to its history, the silver smoothed by countless hands and transactions. Curator: Indeed. These coins were integral to the Roman economy and a powerful tool for imperial propaganda. Each one carried the emperor’s image and messages across the empire. Editor: Looking closer, the craftsmanship is remarkable. The die-cutting needed to produce this coin must have been very skilled manual labor. Curator: Absolutely. The imagery helped disseminate a desired political persona. Coins like this also standardized trade. Editor: Thinking about its materiality, it’s incredible how a small piece of silver became a vehicle for projecting power and facilitating commerce throughout the vast Roman world. Curator: The humble coin played a crucial role in maintaining the empire’s cultural and economic cohesion. Editor: Precisely, and the traces of its life embedded in the coin's physical state make it so powerful.