Tetradrachm of Alexandria under Salonina c. 267 - 268

Editor: Here we have the Tetradrachm of Alexandria, created under Salonina. It is currently part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It's incredible how much history is embedded in such a small object. What stories do you think this coin whispers? Curator: Ah, this coin... it’s not just metal, it's a portal! It hums with the ambition and artistry of a bygone era. See how Salonina, likely idealized, gazes from the face? It’s a carefully crafted image of power, meant to resonate across an empire. Editor: It almost feels like holding a conversation with the past. I wonder, what was Salonina hoping to communicate? Curator: Perhaps, a message of stability and enduring rule. Coins are propaganda, after all, little billboards promising security. And notice the wear – it's been clutched in countless hands, passed through bustling markets. Editor: So much to consider. This coin is far more eloquent than I initially imagined! Curator: Precisely! Each artifact invites us to become detectives, piecing together fragments of forgotten worlds.