Trachy Type B of Theodore I, Nicaea c. 1205 - 1221

Curator: This is Trachy Type B of Theodore I, Nicaea, a piece held in the Harvard Art Museums collection, weighing just over 4 grams. It presents an immediate impression of age and perhaps resilience, would you agree? Editor: Absolutely, the worn texture speaks to a history of circulation and exchange. The imagery, though faded, depicts power and religious iconography, signaling the Byzantine influence and the symbolic authority of the emperor. Curator: Examining its socio-political function, coins were not merely currency but tools for propagating the emperor’s image and legitimacy. How might this coin speak to issues of identity and power during Theodore I’s reign? Editor: The coin serves as a vital artifact for understanding the construction of imperial identity in a time of political upheaval. We can analyze how visual culture was mobilized to reinforce ideological control, especially during the fractured Byzantine period. Curator: Indeed. It's humbling to consider the weight of political and spiritual messaging carried by such a small object. Editor: It certainly makes you reflect on what it means to hold power, and how these images reflect it in every age.