Follis of Maurice, Nicodemia 

This Follis of Maurice was made in Nicodemia, but you could have fooled me, it could have come from outer space. I mean, just look at it: the marks on the surface are a constellation of corrosion and time. You know, the artist, Maurice Tiberius, was also an emperor. Can you imagine being an emperor *and* an artist? I bet he spent hours getting his hands dirty, trying to get that mark just right, his mind filled with thoughts about empires and legacies. Did he ever think about the green film of time? I bet he didn't have any idea that years later, we'd be looking at his coin, trying to imagine what it was like to be him. It reminds me a little of Cy Twombly, you know, those scribbles that feel like history and time all rolled into one. Artists, emperors...we're all just making marks, hoping someone will see them someday.