Sestertius of Trajan Decius c. 249 - 251

Curator: This is a Sestertius of Trajan Decius, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs just under 20 grams. Editor: It's worn, isn't it? I mean, visually. The details are softened by what looks like considerable handling. Curator: Indeed. Think about the labor involved in its production: mining the metal, striking the die, circulating it as currency. Each transaction, each hand that held it, shaped its current form. Editor: Absolutely, and each of those transactions, each person who handled it, was participating in a political and economic system fueled by imagery like this. How did the image of Decius himself impact the perception and authority of the Roman state? Curator: The wear and tear tell a story of utility, of value exchanged. It ceased being simply a representation and became a tool, a commodity, and ultimately a historical artifact. Editor: Fascinating to think about how this tiny object played a part in the grand narrative of empire, and how its image functioned to shape and maintain it. Curator: Precisely! The material speaks volumes about its journey through history.