Trachy Type D of Theodore I, Nicaea c. 1205 - 1221

Curator: This is the Trachy Type D, a coin from the era of Theodore I of Nicaea. It’s a small piece, just over 4 grams, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There’s something quite haunting about it. The silver is worn, the images are faded, yet they remain. A past world persists. Curator: Exactly. Coins like these were not just currency. They were instruments of power, bearing potent religious and imperial symbolism. Notice the depiction of Christ on one side. Editor: And on the other, Theodore with Saint Theodore, reinforcing legitimacy. The cross between them is an obvious display of power structures, and an appeal to divine support. Curator: Indeed. It speaks volumes about the Byzantine era’s complex relationship between temporal rule and spiritual authority, a constant negotiation playing out in the visual language of the time. Editor: And still relevant today, when symbols are often exploited to rally political support or to consolidate power. It's useful to consider how those in charge present themselves to the masses. Curator: A reminder that the past is never truly gone; it circulates, reappears, and reshapes our present. Editor: It’s also a reminder that power is always a negotiation, a precarious balancing act.