Coin of Justinian I c. 539 - 540

Curator: Here we have a coin of Justinian I, currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks well-worn; the details are softened by time, but the weight of its history is palpable. Curator: Indeed. This coin speaks volumes about power and identity. Justinian’s image, the inscription—it’s all carefully constructed propaganda. How did this coin circulate in a society grappling with issues of imperial authority and religious identity? Editor: And what of the metal itself? Where did it come from? What processes were used to mine, refine, and ultimately strike this coin? Whose labor produced this object of power? Curator: Absolutely. These are vital questions that connect the artifact to broader narratives of social and economic power. Editor: It’s humbling to consider the hands this coin passed through. Curator: Precisely, a silent witness to transformations across time.