Coin of Justinian I c. 539 - 540

Curator: Here we have a coin of Justinian I. The coin, held at the Harvard Art Museums, reminds us of the Byzantine Empire and the complexities of power and representation. Editor: It feels... weighty. You can almost feel the cold metal, the wear from so many hands. I wonder what stories it could tell. Curator: Indeed. Its materiality speaks volumes. Consider the image of Justinian, likely idealized, which reinforces his authority. How does that image intersect with the daily economic realities for those who used the coin? Editor: Maybe it offered a tiny reassurance, a flicker of stability in a world always on the verge. Or maybe it was just a really old penny that bought you a loaf of bread. Curator: Precisely, the coin is a symbol, an object of exchange, and a historical artifact. Editor: All in one tiny, battered package. Makes you think about what bits of us will last, what meanings they'll carry.