Antoninianus of Claudius II Gothicus c. 3th century

Editor: This is an Antoninianus, a coin minted under Claudius II Gothicus. Considering it's so old, it's amazing it survived! What can you tell me about the context of an object like this? Curator: These coins offer tangible links to Roman imperial power and its visual rhetoric. Consider how the distribution of such coinage functioned as propaganda, extending the emperor's image and authority throughout the vast empire. Editor: Propaganda, even in something as small as a coin? Curator: Absolutely. Images of emperors, gods, and military victories were carefully chosen to project power and legitimacy. What do you think about the wear and tear we observe in this particular coin? Editor: It's interesting to think of all the hands it passed through. I guess its survival speaks to the enduring legacy of the Roman Empire. Curator: Precisely, and how museums play a part in maintaining that legacy by giving new context to such artifacts.