Coin of Nicopolis ad Istrum under Diadumenian c. 3th century

Curator: Here we have a coin of Nicopolis ad Istrum under Diadumenian, weighing in at 10.41 grams. Editor: It feels like a tangible connection to an emperor, so small, yet holding so much symbolic weight about power and authority. Curator: The coin's material speaks to the economic systems of the time, a form of currency that facilitated trade, but what narratives are we missing here? Editor: Absolutely. Who was excluded from this system? How did this coinage serve the dominant patriarchal structure, and how did it impact women and marginalized communities? Curator: Examining the production and distribution of such objects helps us to consider labor practices and resource extraction within the Roman Empire. Editor: And reminds us how art objects are always entangled with power dynamics, and how important it is to question the stories that are usually being told.