Coin of Perge under Salonina 254 - 268

Curator: Here we have a coin from Perge minted under Salonina, presently held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s seen better days, hasn’t it? Kind of makes you think about time, doesn’t it? How things degrade, yet hold stories. Curator: Indeed. Its patinated surface speaks to its age, but we can still discern key iconographic elements. The structure adheres to classical numismatic conventions. Editor: Conventions are broken to be made anew. You have to wonder if this little coin was once someone’s entire fortune… or just a bit of pocket change. Curator: Intriguing to consider. The very materiality—the weight, the metallic composition—would have signified value, power. Editor: And now, all these centuries later, it’s a reminder that everything, even empires, eventually crumbles to dust. Poetic, really. Curator: A poignant observation. It underscores the enduring, if altered, presence of the past within the present.