Sestertius of Alexander Severus 

Editor: So this is a Sestertius of Alexander Severus, probably from the third century. What really strikes me is how worn it looks. How do you interpret its imagery? Curator: Coins like this were tools of propaganda. The emperor's image embodies power, and the figures on the reverse, often deities, symbolized the empire's values, like Pax, or peace. Editor: The wear suggests it was widely circulated? Curator: Precisely. Each hand that held it imprinted its touch upon the coin, adding to its cultural memory. Editor: That's fascinating— it makes you wonder what stories this little object could tell. Curator: Indeed. The image becomes a vessel of collective experience.