Bronze coin of Arcadius 383 - 408

Curator: Let’s discuss this bronze coin of Arcadius, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The patina is exquisite, speaking to the many hands and environments it has passed through. Curator: Indeed. Note the semiotic weight imbued in its circular form, a complete totality referencing the emperor’s domain and power. Editor: And made from base metal, it reflects the economic reality of its time. Who smelted the ore, who struck the die? Curator: The design itself is a calculated construction—observe how the emperor’s profile is rendered to project authority. Editor: I wonder about the labor involved, the number of coins made. Was there any exploitation? Curator: These coins offer us a glimpse into the formal language of power, even as their materiality speaks to a different story. Editor: It’s a palimpsest, layers of meaning and making combined into one small object.