Coin of Justinian I c. 541 - 542

Curator: This is a "Coin of Justinian I," held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The wear and tear on this coin speaks volumes! I see both power and vulnerability etched into its surface. Curator: Absolutely. It's fascinating to consider its function—a medium of exchange, but also a tool of imperial propaganda. The bronze itself, its weight and alloy, speaks to the empire's economic and material concerns. Editor: And the imagery! Justinian's portrait, with that stylized crown, evokes notions of divine authority. Look at the "M" on the reverse, representing forty nummi, surrounded by coded religious symbols. Curator: Precisely, the mass production and circulation of such coins extended Justinian's image and authority throughout the Byzantine world, a potent form of centralized control. Editor: To hold this coin is to grasp a piece of history, to ponder the beliefs and power dynamics it represents. Curator: A tangible link to a complex past, shaped by labor, trade, and imperial ambition.