Denarius of Severus Alexander c. 227

Editor: This is a Denarius, a silver coin featuring Severus Alexander. The condition is worn, but the imagery is fascinating. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Coins like this are fascinating relics. Notice how Severus is depicted; the laurel wreath suggests victory, but what kind? What did this imagery convey to the Roman citizen, and what enduring ideas about leadership does it represent even now? Editor: It's interesting to consider how such a small object could carry so much symbolic weight. Curator: Indeed. The coin becomes a miniature monument, a carrier of cultural memory. These images tell us what qualities the Emperor wished to project, and perhaps what values the society held.