Coin of Leo III c. 720 - 741

Editor: Here we have a coin attributed to Leo III. The metalwork is pretty worn, but you can still make out the cross on one side. How do you interpret this coin? Curator: Think about what a coin *does*: it's meant to circulate, to facilitate exchange. This object embodies Byzantine trade networks and economic power. The wear on its surface isn't just damage; it's a record of countless transactions, proof of its material existence within a complex system of labor and distribution. Editor: So the value is in its past? Curator: Exactly! Each scratch tells a story of use, a history embedded in the metal itself. It prompts us to question the systems of value that determine what objects are deemed "art" versus mere currency. I wonder, who profited from the minting of these coins? What was the daily wage in relation to the coin's value? Editor: I never thought about a coin that way. Thanks!