Coin of Phokas c. 602 - 603

Curator: Here we have a "Coin of Phokas," currently held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It looks so small and worn, but also weighty, doesn't it? Like holding a piece of a forgotten empire. Curator: Indeed. The iconography on the coin's obverse depicts Phokas himself, crowned and bearded, a common visual strategy to assert authority. The reverse bears a cross, a potent symbol of the Byzantine era's deep entanglement of church and state. Editor: And it's interesting how this imagery, repeated on coinage, becomes a form of propaganda, constantly reinforcing the ruler's image and the empire's values among the populace. Curator: Precisely! It demonstrates how rulers manipulate visual rhetoric to solidify their power, and to perpetuate cultural values. Editor: A tangible, pocket-sized symbol of power and faith, circulating through daily life. I find it fascinating how objects like this become silent witnesses to history. Curator: As do I; they provide insight into not only the ruler's intentions, but the culture in which it was used and received.