Basilicon of Andronikos II c. 1282 - 1328

Curator: Here we have a Basilicon of Andronikos II from the Harvard Art Museums. Andronikos II, of course, was a Byzantine emperor. Editor: It’s got this compelling roughness, like an ancient fingerprint. It gives me a sense of the everyday human touch that's often missing in these kinds of historical objects. Curator: Absolutely. Currency in the Byzantine empire served as propaganda, communicating imperial authority and religious legitimacy. Editor: I guess it's a bit like a medieval tweet. It’s funny how something so small could carry so much weight in defining their world. Curator: And its circulation underscores how art, even on a coin, permeates society, shaping beliefs across economic strata. Editor: Exactly! It’s almost humbling, seeing how these little tokens, these artistic echoes from the past, keep speaking to us.