Coin of Justin II c. 574 - 575

Curator: This is a coin of Justin II, held in the Harvard Art Museums. What strikes you first? Editor: The patina! That turquoise bloom tells a long story of material interaction with the earth. Curator: Indeed. Coins were crucial tools of imperial power, and circulated portraiture of the emperor far and wide. Editor: We see the evidence of that power in how worn this piece is – who knows how many hands exchanged it. Curator: And how many stories it could tell about the political and economic realities of the time. Editor: To hold a piece like this is to feel the weight of its past, both in its material and its history of use. Curator: A reminder that even the smallest object can be a portal to understanding vast empires. Editor: Right, and the hands that extracted, smelted, and pressed the materials tell a story too.