Coin of Constantine VII, Cherson

Editor: Here we have a bronze coin of Constantine VII from Cherson. It's small but feels heavy with history. What can you tell me about its significance? Curator: Considering this coin's materiality, we must examine its production. Bronze, the chosen material, speaks of accessibility, mass production, and social consumption. Was this a deliberate choice to reach a wider populace, unlike the elite's gold? The imagery, though worn, hints at imperial power, but the very fact it's circulated until now shows us how embedded these material objects were in the social fabric. What does it mean to hold power, literally, in the palm of your hand? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Curator: Materiality reshapes history.