Aureus of Julia Domna, Rome c. 193 - 196

Curator: We're looking at an aureus, a Roman gold coin, portraying Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's incredible how much detail they managed to pack onto such a tiny surface. The gold makes it look so opulent, almost glowing. Curator: As currency, these coins were instrumental in imperial propaganda, circulating images and messages of power throughout the vast Roman Empire. The material itself, gold, held significant symbolic and economic weight. Editor: And how interesting to consider the labor involved in mining and refining the gold, then in the die-making and striking of each coin. It's an artwork of political and economic control. Curator: Exactly. And the image of Julia Domna herself highlights the role of imperial women in projecting dynastic stability and influence. Editor: Thinking about its journey through time—the hands it passed through, the economies it fueled—gives the coin so much additional resonance. It’s more than just gold. Curator: Absolutely, it's a material testament to power, labor, and the enduring legacy of the Roman Empire. Editor: A small object, but loaded with history and meaning, even today.