Coin of Constantine IX c. 1042 - 1055

Curator: Looking at this coin of Constantine IX, from the Harvard Art Museums, what strikes you? Editor: The texture! The worn details imbue it with such palpable history, like a memory held in gold. Curator: Absolutely. Gold itself carries so much symbolic weight—representing power, divinity, and even immortality. The iconography here reinforces that. On one side we see Christ enthroned. Editor: And on the other, the emperor himself, holding the labarum, a symbol of imperial authority, and the globus cruciger, representing his dominion over the world, blessed by God. It's such a potent display of power and legitimacy. Curator: Indeed, these images tap into a powerful visual language that's been used across centuries to connect rulers to the divine. This coin is so much more than currency; it's a tangible link to the past. Editor: It reminds us that symbols, power, and identity are always intertwined.