Antoninianus of Salonina c. 3th century

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the density of detail achieved on such a small, commonplace object. Editor: This is an Antoninianus coin, and it features Salonina, the wife of Emperor Gallienus. It's incredibly small, weighing just over two grams. Curator: The imagery is fascinating. I see Salonina’s portrait on one side, and a figure, perhaps a goddess, on the other. What do these symbols tell us? Editor: These coins were essentially propaganda. Salonina’s image would have been recognizable, associating her with power. The goddess on the reverse, potentially Juno, reinforces ideas of Roman glory. Curator: Interesting, but to me, what's more compelling is how widely these objects circulated. It's an example of mass production, yet each individual coin also bears the marks of its use, its history of exchange. Editor: I agree; it speaks volumes about the economy and the importance of imagery in disseminating power during a tumultuous period of the Roman Empire. Curator: It makes you wonder about the hands that handled it and the stories it could tell. Editor: Exactly, a tiny portal into the past.