Coin of Arcadius, Kyzikos c. 395 - 401

Editor: This is a coin of Arcadius from Kyzikos, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. The patina of age gives it a quiet, almost melancholic feel. What stories do you think this little object could tell? Curator: Oh, if only it could speak! To me, it whispers of power, the enduring need to project authority through image. Arcadius, a not-so-remarkable emperor, frozen in metal for eternity. What do you make of the figures on the reverse? Editor: They seem to be standing, perhaps victorious? But the details are a little hard to discern. Curator: Exactly! And therein lies the magic. Like half-remembered dreams, these coins offer fragments, inviting us to complete the picture. Each imperfection, each bit of wear, a testament to its journey through time. Editor: That's a lovely way to think about it. It makes the coin feel alive, somehow. Curator: Precisely. Art isn't just about what we see, but what it stirs within us.