Coin of Manuel I c. 12th century

Editor: This is a coin, likely bronze, of Manuel I, with no precise date listed. It's at the Harvard Art Museums. Looking at it, I see not just a currency, but a very tactile object, worn smooth through use. How do you interpret this work, looking at its process? Curator: Consider the labor involved in its creation. The extraction of raw materials, the metalworking… each coin represents human effort and a complex economic system. What does this object's existence tell us about Byzantine trade networks and material culture? Editor: So it's less about the image on the coin, and more about its life as a material object? Curator: Exactly. The coin's circulation represents the movement of goods, services, and even ideas across the empire, challenging the traditional boundaries between high art and craft. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It’s been enlightening to consider its materiality and socio-economic context.