Coin (AE4) of Constans, Rome before 340

Editor: So, this is a bronze coin of Constans, a Roman emperor. It feels weighty, like a tangible link to the past. What stories do you see embedded in this object? Curator: This coin isn't just about Constans. It reflects the vast economic and political power structures of the Roman Empire. Who benefited from this system? Whose labor was exploited to maintain it? Editor: That's a really powerful way to consider something like a coin. Curator: It also speaks to the narratives of power and masculinity that were being circulated and reinforced. How does that image of Constans legitimize imperial authority? Editor: I never thought a coin could hold so many loaded questions! Thank you. Curator: It shows how even the smallest objects can become sites of resistance or complicity, depending on how we choose to interpret them.