Coin of Justinian I c. 548 - 549

Curator: This is a fascinating artifact: a coin of Justinian I, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. It weighs about 18.58 grams. Editor: It looks so worn and handled, but still remarkably detailed for something so small. I'm immediately drawn to the texture of the metal itself. Curator: Absolutely. The coin was likely produced in vast quantities, becoming a tool for imperial propaganda. Each coin carried the ruler’s image and conveyed power. Editor: And the material tells a story too. The metal's content and its production—mining, smelting, striking—involved labor, trade networks, and the control of resources. Curator: Precisely. Justinian used coinage to reinforce his image as a pious and powerful leader. It was a way to broadcast his authority across the Byzantine Empire. Editor: So, even a small coin reveals a network of human labor, imperial ambition, and material realities that shaped the Byzantine world. Curator: Indeed. It prompts us to consider not just the emperor's image, but the vast systems that enabled its dissemination. Editor: It's incredible how such a humble, everyday object can become a window into a complex historical era.