Coin of Ephesos 

Curator: Here we have a coin of Ephesos, likely dating back to the reign of Lucius Verus. Editor: It's surprisingly tactile, even in this image. I'm drawn to the patina; that green really pops against the dark metal. Curator: The patina certainly speaks to its journey, doesn't it? Verus' reign was marked by military campaigns and, significantly, the Antonine Plague. Coins like these were instruments of state power and propaganda. Editor: Propaganda? How so? I see a bull on one side. Is that purely symbolic? Curator: Well, the bull was a common symbol of Ephesus, the city that minted the coin. Its very existence as currency reinforced Roman economic and political control. Editor: I suppose. Yet, the coin's physical presence—its circular form, worn texture—evokes a sense of material history that transcends mere political messaging. Curator: Precisely! It's a confluence of intent and accident, of design and decay, which gives the artifact its unique voice through time. Editor: A tangible connection to a distant past, forged in metal and circumstance. Curator: Indeed, a pocket-sized piece of the Roman Empire's story.