Coin of Aspendos under Gordian III 238 - 244

Curator: Here we have a bronze coin minted in Aspendos during the reign of Gordian III. Editor: It has a worn but enduring quality, like a face from a forgotten dream, doesn't it? Curator: Indeed. One side depicts Gordian III, while the other seems to present a scene with a reclining figure, possibly a river god. Editor: Ah, yes. Water. Always a symbol of flow, of time slipping through our fingers. And the emperor… forever young on one face, and eternal in governance on the other. Curator: Coins like this circulated widely and carried messages of imperial power, as well as local identity. Editor: It's a tactile link to the past, a tangible piece of a world that continues to echo. Curator: A world we can still touch, even if its original luster has faded.