Coin of Arcadius c. 387 - 392

Curator: This is a coin of Arcadius, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Just holding it, I feel how worn down it is, and yet... powerful. Editor: I agree. It’s unassuming, really. But then you think about whose hands it passed through, all those transactions and histories. Curator: Exactly. Coins were primary tools of imperial propaganda. The image of Arcadius, stamped onto the surface, broadcasts imperial authority, a visual language reinforcing power structures. Editor: It’s funny to consider these miniature artworks as tools of control. It looks so fragile, almost like holding a whisper of history. I wonder what Arcadius would think of us analyzing it centuries later? Curator: Perhaps that's the point. The coin survives empires, reminding us of the constructed nature of power and the enduring legacy of visual culture. Editor: It's definitely given me something to think about. All that history compressed into such a small space.