Coin of Justin II c. 573 - 574

Curator: Before us, we have a coin attributed to Justin II, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, weighing in at 13 grams. It speaks volumes about its time. Editor: It looks battered, like a relic that has passed through countless hands, maybe witnessing agreements, exchanges of power, or struggles for survival. Curator: Precisely! The coin served as a potent symbol of imperial authority, bearing witness to an emperor's claim to power in a society stratified by gender, race, and class. Editor: And the bronze itself tells a story. Where was it mined? Who labored to extract it, and under what conditions? Was it part of larger trade networks? Curator: Absolutely. Examining the material and its journey unveils the very fabric of the Byzantine economy and labor practices that sustained imperial rule. Editor: It reminds us that even small objects can carry immense social and material weight, providing rich narratives about power, labor, and value. Curator: Indeed, this coin invites us to consider the multiple layers of meaning embedded within objects and their historical contexts.