Coin of Tiberius II c. 578 - 582

Curator: This is a gold coin of Tiberius II, held in the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs just over two grams. Editor: It’s incredibly tactile, isn’t it? You can almost feel the weight of its history pressing into your palm. Curator: Absolutely. We must consider the labour involved in both the mining of the gold and the die-striking of the coin itself. Think of the social structures that enabled this. Editor: And the imagery—the depiction of Tiberius, the symbols of power and authority! It was clearly designed as propaganda, a tool for consolidating his reign and projecting his image throughout the empire. Curator: It's fascinating how value is imbued through material and image combined. Editor: Indeed, a powerful little object, packed with symbolic weight. Curator: A reminder that even the smallest artifacts tell complex stories of production and power. Editor: Absolutely, seeing it this way brings new meaning to "small is mighty."