Coin of Maurice Tiberius c. 588 - 589

Here at Harvard is a coin made by Maurice Tiberius, that weighs 13.44 grams. Imagine the feel of holding this in your hand, the cool weight of it. Look at the patinated, brown surface and think about time, about the act of making. The artist, or rather the artisan, punches the image into the metal, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. He is making something lasting. I sympathize with him, having to compress so much into such a small space. What was he thinking as he rendered the emperor’s face? How to make it both recognizable and symbolic? The incised lines are like drawings, each mark communicating feeling, intention, or meaning. It makes me think about what it means to leave a mark, to make something that might outlive you. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas across time, inspiring one another's creativity. This coin is a form of embodied expression, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.