Coin of Leo III c. 717 - 720

Editor: This is a gold coin of Leo III. The artistry is impressive, even on such a small scale. What can we learn from the way it was produced? Curator: The coin's material value is inseparable from its symbolic and economic function. Consider the labor extraction required to obtain the gold, then the skill of the die maker. The coin embodies imperial power through these means of production and consumption. Editor: So, it's not just art, but a statement about power and resources? Curator: Precisely! It’s about controlling both the message and the means to disseminate it. What does the image on the coin communicate about the emperor's authority? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. I guess everything, even a coin, has a story about labor and social structures embedded in it.