Solidus of Justin I c. 519 - 527

Curator: This is a Solidus of Justin I, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's so small, almost unassuming, yet that gold speaks volumes about power and trade. Curator: Indeed. Consider the labor involved in extracting, refining, and crafting such a precious metal into a tool of political and economic power. Its weight is only 4.45 g. Editor: And the image itself, Justin I, rendered in such a way that reinforced his divine right to rule, particularly during a time of massive shifts in power dynamics and religious interpretations. Curator: Absolutely. The material and its imagery are directly intertwined with the construction and maintenance of social hierarchies. Editor: So, we're not just looking at a coin; we're looking at a concentrated symbol of authority and the very real social relations it upheld. Curator: Precisely. It's a window into the material conditions that underpinned an empire. Editor: Making this small coin a potent reminder of the enduring links between art, power, and society.