Antoninianus of Gallienus c. 3th century

Editor: Here we have an Antoninianus coin of Gallienus, a Roman emperor. Its bronze surface is heavily patinated. What feelings or ideas does this artifact bring up for you? Curator: Well, holding something like this, so worn and ancient, I feel a connection to the past, almost a whisper across millennia. It speaks of power, doesn't it? A ruler's image, meant to project authority, now faded and softened by time. Editor: Power turned to dust, in a way. Curator: Exactly! The coin's very existence is a testament to human ambition and, ultimately, its transience. What lessons about hubris might this object teach? Editor: I like that contrast. It makes you wonder about the stories it could tell. Curator: Precisely, and that's what makes it art, isn't it? We fill in the gaps with our own imaginings.