Coin of Bostra under Antoninus Pius c. 2th century

Curator: Look, this is a "Coin of Bostra under Antoninus Pius," held in the Harvard Art Museums, weighing 22.38 grams. Editor: At first glance, the damage and the piercing create a strong sense of history and use, but also…desecration? Curator: The image of Antoninus Pius would have carried immense political weight. Coins were among the most widely circulated forms of imperial propaganda. Editor: So the images and the act of circulating them created and reinforced Roman power dynamics. But look at the holes—were they defaced? Was it jewelry? Curator: It’s difficult to say definitively without further study. What is clear is that even defaced, symbols resonate through the ages. Editor: Precisely. This coin, even altered, speaks volumes about imperial power, cultural memory, and the enduring power of images.