Coin of Justinian I c. 538 - 539

Curator: Isn't it amazing to hold something like this? This is a coin of Justinian I, weighing in at just over 19 grams, from the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It looks like it has lived many lives. Dark, worn smooth in places, like a river stone. I wonder how many hands it has passed through? Curator: As a material object, it offers such a direct line to the Byzantine Empire. Think of the resources needed to mine the metal, the labor to mint it… Editor: And then the faces—Justinian on one side, a large "M" indicating its value on the other. It is amazing how a face from so long ago still speaks of power and authority. Curator: Absolutely. It is a potent symbol, not just of currency, but of an empire's reach. I get lost imagining what stories this little thing could tell. Editor: Yes, it is a silent witness to history—of trade, power, and the everyday lives of people long gone. Amazing.