Coin (AE2) of Constans, Rome 348 - 350

Curator: This is a bronze coin, specifically an AE2, of Constans, dating back to the Roman Empire. Editor: It looks incredibly worn. It's easy to imagine the number of hands and pockets this little disc passed through. Curator: Exactly! The materiality speaks volumes about its function. Bronze was a common, affordable metal, signifying its use in everyday transactions and its broad distribution. Editor: And its creation by Constans himself—or rather, under his regime—asserts imperial control even in something so small. How was the image of the emperor received by the public? Curator: That image was carefully circulated. The act of minting these coins, the labor involved, was an exercise in imperial propaganda and economic management. Editor: It makes you think about the power imbued in these tiny objects. I find it incredible to hold such a small material with a palpable historical presence. Curator: Indeed, a tangible reminder of past empires and their impact on our present.