Antoninianus of Trebonianus Gallus c. 3th century

Curator: Here we have an Antoninianus of Trebonianus Gallus, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Its heft…it feels like holding a tiny, tarnished secret from centuries ago. Curator: Indeed. Its production tells us much about Roman imperial economics, the value placed on metal, the very act of creating currency. Editor: And the face, almost erased by time… what stories could it tell if it could speak? Curator: Consider also the labor involved: from mining the metal to the skilled artisan engraving the die. The social context is embedded in this piece. Editor: I wonder who clutched it, what transactions it facilitated, and the lives it touched. It is humbling, isn't it? Curator: Precisely. Materiality provides tangible links to historical production and exchange. Editor: Yes, and the potential for connection is immense.