Antoninianus of Numerian, Tripolis 282 - 283

Editor: Here we have the Antoninianus of Numerian from Tripolis. It's small, dense, and very worn. What stories do you think it tells about power, and who controlled the narrative at the time? Curator: Well, consider who gets memorialized on currency. It's always a statement about authority, and this piece literally embodies the economics of power, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely. The act of circulation itself is a form of propaganda. Curator: Exactly. Think about whose images were deliberately *not* on these coins, and what that signifies. What social, economic, or gendered hierarchies are reinforced by this representation? Editor: I hadn’t considered it that way, but now I see how much this little coin can tell us. Curator: It’s a powerful object once we consider the context of its creation and circulation.