Follis of Constantine I, Arles 316

Curator: Here we have a follis of Constantine I, struck in Arles. Editor: It looks so worn, almost like it's been pulled from the earth itself. The texture tells its own story. Curator: Indeed. Coins like this weren't just currency. They were instruments of imperial propaganda, projecting power and legitimizing Constantine's rule. Think about the laborers involved in extracting the metals and striking the coins, their efforts fueling the vast Roman war machine. Editor: And the very material—bronze—speaks to its function, a durable medium for disseminating the Emperor's image and message. The everyday value of something like this and how it trickled through society. Curator: Absolutely. These coins were tools to maintain social order and reflect the state's ambitions and values. Editor: Seeing its pitted surface and worn details connects us to the hands it passed through and the weight of history it carries. Curator: Exactly. It reminds us how these small objects shaped lives and empires.