Antoninianus of Cornelia Salonina 260 - 268

Curator: Before us is an Antoninianus of Cornelia Salonina, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums, a piece reflecting the portraiture of its time. Editor: It's striking how tactile this coin feels, despite being viewed through glass. You can almost sense the weight and wear from centuries of handling and circulation. Curator: Indeed, the wear is significant. These coins served a vital role in the Roman economy, reflecting the power and image of the ruling class. The very act of minting and distributing such currency was a political statement. Editor: Absolutely. Thinking about the labor involved, from mining the metals to die-cutting and striking each individual coin, it’s humbling. What were the social conditions of the laborers who produced these tools of empire? Curator: A poignant question. While Salonina herself, as empress, wielded symbolic power, the coin embodies a complex web of resources, labor, and social hierarchy. Editor: It makes you consider the distance between the image of power and the realities of its production. Curator: A distance worth contemplating, I agree. It shows how objects connect us to wider material and historical realities. Editor: Precisely, revealing the political undercurrent in these small, everyday objects.