Coin of Ephesus under Caracalla c. 188 - 217

Curator: This is a coin of Ephesus under Caracalla, currently held in the Harvard Art Museums collection, weighing 19.21 grams. Editor: It appears quite worn, doesn't it? The patina gives it a certain sombre quality. Curator: Indeed. On one side we see the portrait of Emperor Caracalla, his profile defined with rather linear precision. The reverse features, though somewhat obscured, an equestrian figure. Editor: It is evocative of power, but I am more struck by the coin's role in shaping Caracalla's image, and his reach across the Roman empire. Currency as propaganda, in a way. Curator: Precisely. The coin’s design choices, the emperor’s representation, carry deliberate symbolic weight that influences the masses. Editor: A solid point. Thinking about its semiotic value, there is an interesting tension between the wear on the coin and the enduring image of power it conveys. Curator: Yes, perhaps this points to a bigger system where art always participates in social, political, and economic discourse. Editor: An absolutely illuminating microcosm of history and aesthetics.