Coin of Michael VII c. 1071 - 1078

Editor: This is a coin of Michael VII, its weight is just over half a gram and it's held at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks so worn, you can still see the figure and inscriptions though. What does this coin tell us? Curator: Well, consider the materiality. This small object facilitated trade, a key process in the Byzantine economy. Its physical degradation reflects the wear and tear of circulation, of countless transactions and human interactions. Editor: So, its value isn’t just monetary, but as a record of exchange? Curator: Exactly! The coin embodies the labor of its creation, the political power it represents, and the social networks it supported. It connects us to the economic realities of the Byzantine era. Editor: That gives me a totally different perspective. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure! Looking at art this way definitely changes how we understand it.