Coin of Tiberius II c. 579

Editor: This is a coin of Tiberius II, located at the Harvard Art Museums. It's small, metallic, and the details are worn, making it hard to decipher. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The materiality of this coin tells us a great deal. Its copper alloy suggests a specific moment in economic history. Coins weren't just symbolic; they facilitated exchange. Who controlled the mines? The minting process? The distribution? The wear and tear also reveals its circulation and use. Editor: So, you're less interested in the image on the coin and more in what it was made of and its social purpose? Curator: Precisely. The value of a coin lies less in the portrait and more in the labor and resources that went into it, and how that affected broader social exchange. Editor: That's a totally different way of thinking about it. It makes me wonder about the people who made these coins. Curator: Indeed. Considering its history through material and production gives us a unique perspective.