Coin of Tiberius II c. 579 - 582

Curator: Here we have a "Coin of Tiberius II," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It appears timeworn, doesn't it? Editor: It does! My first thought is the texture. It feels so ancient, like holding a whisper of history, worn smooth by countless hands and forgotten pockets. Curator: Precisely! As currency, it acted as both a tool for economic exchange and a powerful emblem of Imperial authority. The imagery stamped onto these coins served as a kind of propaganda. Editor: Propaganda in your pocket, eh? I see the wear as beautiful in its own way. Each imperfection is a story, a journey across centuries. What symbols were they trying to project? Curator: The depiction of Tiberius II and the symbols struck onto the coin would have been carefully chosen to convey messages of power, legitimacy, and divine favor. Editor: It's humbling. To think of all that authority, reduced to this fragile little disc. Curator: Indeed, and still speaking to us across the ages. Editor: It makes you wonder what messages our pocket change will whisper to future generations.