Coin of Nikephoros III c. 1078 - 1081

Curator: Here we have a coin of Nikephoros III, weighing just under five grams. It's quite striking, isn't it? Editor: It is. The rough texture speaks volumes about its creation and history. It seems well-worn. Curator: The imagery certainly carries weight. On one side, we see Nikephoros himself, likely invested with divine authority, and the other has a complex, symbolic design. Editor: You know, it's easy to forget that even something as small as a coin involved labor, material extraction, and the social structures of trade and power. Curator: Absolutely. And this coin, though modest in size, became a vessel for communicating the ruler's image and ideology across his domain. Editor: I appreciate seeing how this tiny object provides us with tangible evidence of daily life and labor, and the echoes of vanished empires. Curator: Indeed, it prompts reflection on how symbols persist, reminding us of the cultural meanings we continue to inherit. Editor: Exactly. The very materiality of this coin connects us to human stories embedded in objects.