Coin of Herakleios c. 616s

Curator: This is a gold coin attributed to Abd-al-Malik of the Umayyad Caliphate, presently housed in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Visually, it reads as a compelling study in relief and surface texture, the metallic sheen catching the light in a most engaging way. Curator: Indeed. These coins offer a glimpse into a pivotal era of cultural negotiation, adapting Byzantine numismatic traditions. The cross is particularly interesting, a symbol adopted and later adapted. Editor: It's true, the superimposition of Byzantine imagery subtly yields to calligraphic inscription, a silent yet potent shift in power. Curator: Absolutely, the weight and materiality signal economic strategy, but also the beginnings of a new visual language. Editor: A tangible artifact, it allows us to ponder the symbolic economies at play during a period of significant political transition.