Coin of Laodikeia ad Mare under Elagabalus c. 218 - 222

Curator: Here we have an artifact from a tumultuous era: a coin of Laodikeia ad Mare, minted during the reign of Elagabalus. Editor: It’s… small. But weighty, somehow, isn't it? All that history pressed into such a tiny, worn circle. Curator: Indeed. These coins were less about Elagabalus’s face—he used plenty of imagery promoting the cult of Sol Invictus. Editor: He was a bit of a showman, then? Turning governance into performance. I wonder how the common folk felt about that back then. Curator: There's a lot of debate about his motivations, but it certainly challenged Roman norms. The coin itself offered an opportunity to control the narrative. Editor: It's amazing to think of a coin as propaganda, but of course, it is. Even this little object tells a story. What a weight for such a small thing to carry through the ages.