Coin of Phokas c. 605 - 606

Curator: Here we have the Coin of Phokas, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. Honestly, my first impression is how much this little bronze disc seems to carry—it’s like holding condensed history. Editor: It's easy to forget how much skilled labor went into producing even something as small as this. The metal extraction, the die cutting, the striking of each individual coin. Curator: It’s incredible. I find myself wondering about the artisan. Were they thinking about Phokas, the Byzantine Emperor, as they worked? Did they feel any connection to the power they were helping to legitimize? Editor: Probably more concerned with their daily wages, and access to material. But the design choices, the level of detail even on a worn coin, that speaks volumes about the priorities and values of the era. Curator: It is humbling to think about how such a seemingly insignificant object has survived, carrying whispers of a long-lost empire. Editor: Yes, it is a testament to material endurance and the social systems needed for minting. A trace of labor and power.