Coin of Perge under Salonina 254 - 268

Editor: Here we have an ancient coin of Perge, under Salonina, residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s weighty at almost 17 grams and has this beautifully weathered look. What stories do you think this coin could tell? Curator: Ah, this coin whispers tales of empire! Salonina was the Roman Empress, wife of Gallienus, during a tumultuous period. The coin, likely bronze, would have been a small act of propaganda, a tangible representation of her power circulating throughout the region. Imagine who might have held it! Editor: Propaganda, huh? So, like a Roman-era meme? Curator: Precisely! A pocket-sized meme, endlessly replicated, reinforcing the imperial image. Though, I wonder about that hole; was it for stringing it as jewelry, perhaps? Or defacing it? Editor: Wow, I never thought of it like that, a meme made of metal! Now I’m seeing it in a whole new light.