Coin of Justinian I c. 559 - 560

Curator: This is a coin of Justinian I. Its presence here at the Harvard Art Museums serves as a potent reminder of empires long past. Editor: It's weighty, isn’t it? You can almost feel the passage of time etched into its surface. The symbols seem to whisper forgotten meanings. Curator: The iconography is deliberate, of course. The bust of Justinian on one side presents him as a ruler divinely sanctioned, while the other side most likely designates the coin's value and reignal year. Editor: Absolutely. And the repetition of such imagery throughout the Byzantine Empire would reinforce the emperor's power and legitimize his rule across diverse cultures. Curator: Yes, the coin is a form of propaganda, intended to ensure a certain image of power. Editor: Currency as cultural artifact—fascinating how such a small object can carry so much ideological and historical weight. Curator: Indeed, reflecting on the coin reminds us how financial objects and symbols play a crucial role in perpetuating the narratives that shape and define societies. Editor: I agree completely. I’ll never look at pocket change quite the same way again.