Coin of Alexandreia under Caracalla c. 2th - 3th century

Curator: This object is a coin from Alexandreia under Caracalla, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks so worn, so weathered! I immediately feel a sense of history and impermanence. Curator: Indeed. Caracalla, himself, would have been the artist who commissioned the coin. You can see a portrait on one side. What meanings do you draw from the imagery? Editor: Well, as a coin, it speaks to trade and economic power, but the portrait also reflects the power of the ruler. This was a symbol of Roman authority, circulated and consumed by the people of Alexandria. Curator: Very astute. I find the way the coin carries both the imprint of the ruler and the wear of time profoundly evocative, a testament to the layers of cultural memory. Editor: Absolutely. And for me, it is about questioning whose stories are told on these coins and who is excluded from the narrative of power.