Coin of Zeno, Constantinople 476 - 491

Curator: Here we have a "Coin of Zeno, Constantinople," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My first impression is that it looks… humble. It has a very worn, weighty feel, doesn’t it? Curator: Absolutely. Coins like this, issued by rulers like Zeno, carried more than just monetary value. They were potent symbols. Notice the imagery; the ruler's portrait, the inscriptions... each carefully chosen. Editor: It’s like a little echo of an emperor's persona, or an empire's aspirations. Looking at it now, I almost feel like I can hear the distant echoes of the marketplace. Curator: Precisely. They spoke volumes about power, legitimacy, and the enduring nature of the state. Editor: There’s a real beauty in how something so small can bear so much historical weight. Curator: It’s fascinating to think about the hands this coin passed through and the stories it could tell. Editor: It makes you feel a little more connected to the past, doesn’t it? Curator: It certainly does. A tangible link to a long-gone world.