Coin of Maurice Tiberius c. 588 - 602

This bronze coin, made under the authority of Maurice Tiberius, tells us much about the economics of the Byzantine Empire. The planchet of bronze, the blank, would have been cast in quantity. Striking the coin between two dies would have been relatively quick, a nascent form of mass production. The designs, though, are what give the coin its real value. An imperial portrait on one side, and a value mark on the other. The coin provided a guarantee of value, backed by the authority of the emperor. This coin is more than just a marker of trade and economic systems, it’s a social artifact, embedded with cultural and political meaning. Even a seemingly simple object like this asks us to think more expansively about art history.