Coin of Constantine IX c. 11th century

Curator: Look at the state of this artifact, it almost feels like it’s whispering secrets across the ages. Editor: Indeed. What we have here is a Coin of Constantine IX, which has survived countless hands to arrive here at the Harvard Art Museums. Curator: It’s remarkable, isn’t it? The wear and tear actually enhance the figures, almost like the coin is breathing. Editor: Note how the composition is divided, with a bust of Christ on one side and Constantine IX on the other, each contained within a beaded border that accentuates the coin's circular form. Curator: It makes you wonder about the lives that this little disc has touched, the transactions it facilitated, the stories it could tell. Editor: Precisely. Each scratch and imperfection embodies a history of economic exchange and imperial authority, condensed into a single object. Curator: Honestly, holding it, I imagine all the hopes and anxieties, the daily grind of people from another lifetime. It’s beautiful and weighty. Editor: Yes, a poignant reminder of the tangible connections we share with the past.