Coin of Constantine VII c. 919 - 920

Curator: What a weathered piece. The patina is striking. Editor: Indeed. This is a coin of Constantine VII, now residing in the Harvard Art Museums. It is a small object, 3.66 grams. Think of the workshops where artisans were producing coin after coin. Curator: The decay is a feature. It speaks of trade routes, the hands that held it, the purses it lined. It has a certain weight, doesn't it? Editor: The symbolic weight of currency, certainly. The impression, even in its worn state, hints at larger iconographic programs of the Byzantine empire. Curator: A tangible link to a bygone economic system and power structure. Makes you wonder about value and labor then versus now. Editor: It provokes contemplation on so many levels, doesn't it?