Coin of Tiberius II c. 578 - 582

Curator: What strikes me first is the simplicity of the image: two slightly irregular golden disks against a stark black background. Editor: This is a coin of Tiberius II, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs a mere 1.47 grams and provides a glimpse into the power structures of the era. Curator: Yes, the golden hue speaks to its inherent value and the authority it represented, doesn't it? The incised designs, though worn, suggest symbolic import. Editor: Absolutely. The portrait and the cross weren't just aesthetic choices. They were deliberate assertions of imperial power intertwined with religious authority, tools to shape identity and allegiance in the Byzantine empire. Curator: And though small, the piece evokes a sense of grand historical narratives and legacies. Editor: Indeed, a tiny object echoing the intersection of faith and imperial ambitions.