Coin of Alexandria under Julia Mamaea c. 230 - 231

Editor: Here we have a Coin of Alexandria under Julia Mamaea, found here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's fascinating to see how worn the material is. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Consider the materiality: base metal, likely bronze, speaks to mass production and circulation. The images, Julia Mamaea and symbolic representations, served as propaganda. The coin's wear reveals its journey through countless hands, marking commodity exchange and economic structures of the time. Editor: So the wear isn't just damage; it's a record? Curator: Precisely! Each transaction leaves an invisible trace. This challenges the notion of "high art" by highlighting the intersection of labor, materiality, and consumption in even the most functional objects. Editor: I see what you mean! It reframes how we understand value and artistic intention. Curator: Exactly. We've moved beyond simple aesthetics and into the realm of social and economic history embedded within the object itself.