Coin of Justin II c. 570 - 571

Curator: This is a coin of Justin II, a Byzantine Emperor. Note the material, likely bronze, and the visible wear, telling a story of circulation and use. Editor: It's amazing how something so small can feel so weighted with history. The figures look worn, almost ghostly, which gives it an otherworldly quality. Curator: Indeed, and the process of minting coins – the labor, the workshops, the distribution networks – all speak to the economic and political structures of the time. Editor: Absolutely. And how this tiny object reinforces the emperor's power, circulating his image and authority throughout the empire. We can see the coin’s intersectional relationship with race, gender, and politics. Curator: It makes you consider the sheer volume of these coins produced, each a small testament to imperial power, a tool of economic activity and control. Editor: Exactly, and by considering its place in the historical narratives of power, economics, and the social relations of the Byzantine Empire. Curator: Precisely! Each coin a product of labor and a tool of power, a window into the material conditions of the past. Editor: And that little face still speaks volumes about the larger narratives of its time.