City Commemorative Issue, Cyzicus 331 - 334

Curator: This is a City Commemorative Issue from Cyzicus, crafted during the reign of Constantine I, now held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks like time has taken a toll. The wear and tear give it a certain gravitas, and its circular form is beautifully simple. Curator: Indeed, as a circulated object, its materiality reflects its socioeconomic function. The coin represents both imperial power and civic identity. Its production reveals Roman economic strategies. Editor: And the imagery? A figure of Roma on one side, an eagle on the other. The semiotic weight of those symbols within the composition is palpable. Curator: Absolutely, the coin acted as propaganda, circulating not just currency but also ideology throughout the empire. Editor: It's fascinating how such a small object can hold so much historical and artistic information. Curator: Precisely. A potent reminder of the Roman Empire's layered legacies.