Denarius of Caracalla c. 210 - 213

Curator: The Harvard Art Museums hold this fascinating artifact: a denarius of Caracalla. Editor: It looks small but feels monumental, like handling condensed power. The wear gives it this great texture. Curator: Indeed. Notice the crisp profile portrait. The semiotic weight of the laurel wreath, the incised lettering – all designed for maximum symbolic communication. Editor: And consider the material itself, the silver. It’s not just about value; it's about the labor extracted from the earth, refined, minted, and circulated as a tool of imperial control. Each coin a node in that vast economic network. Curator: Precisely. The numismatic value is also significant; it is a testament to the socio-economic power of the time. Editor: A coin, then, speaking volumes. Curator: Exactly; it is an object that transcends its materiality.