Follis of Constans II, Syracuse 659 - 668

Editor: This is a Follis of Constans II, from Syracuse, found here at the Harvard Art Museums. Looking at the figures depicted, I wonder, what stories and values were they meant to convey to the people using this coin? Curator: Think of a coin not just as currency, but as a miniature billboard, a circulating emblem of power. What symbols do you notice? Editor: Well, there seem to be figures with crowns and religious symbols on the coin. I am curious about how those symbols represent the politics of the time. Curator: Precisely. Crowns suggest authority. The religious symbols point to the intertwined relationship between the church and state. A coin like this reinforced not just economic but also ideological structures. Now, how might the average person in Syracuse, holding this coin, have interpreted these symbols? Editor: It is fascinating to consider how everyday objects like coins could be so powerfully symbolic. Thank you! Curator: Indeed, revealing the past through these small, but significant, images.