Coin of Justinian I c. 545 - 565

Curator: This tiny gold coin, attributed to Justinian I, weighs a mere 2.73 grams and resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. What is your first impression? Editor: It feels weighty, not in grams, but in history. Like holding a direct line to Byzantium, a tangible echo from so long ago. Curator: Indeed. Notice the intricate details, even on such a small scale. The iconography of power is striking; Justinian is presented as a strong, divine ruler. Editor: It's fascinating how potent those symbols were—a whole empire distilled into a coin, communicating legitimacy and authority. You almost feel the divine right radiating off it. Curator: Absolutely. And the material itself, gold, reinforces that message. It’s a symbol of wealth and enduring power, even now. Editor: It certainly holds its own, and gives you pause, doesn’t it? To think, those images, those symbols, still carry such meaning after all this time... Curator: Symbols echo through time, shaping our understanding. Food for thought from something so small. Editor: Precisely. A little universe right here in our hands.