Coin of Maurice Tiberius c. 589 - 590

This is a coin made of bronze, dating to the reign of Maurice Tiberius, Byzantine Emperor from 582 to 602 AD. Its irregular shape, and the way the image and inscription are pressed unevenly into its surface, bear witness to the handcraft techniques by which it was made. Like many coins throughout history, this one was likely produced by striking a blank piece of metal between two dies. These would have been engraved with a mirror image of the desired design, and hammered together. The designs on the coin—a portrait of the Emperor and a representation of the city walls of Constantinople—speak to the power and reach of the Byzantine state. Coins like this one were not simply monetary objects, but tools used to disseminate the Emperor's image and authority throughout the realm. They remind us that the production of even the humblest objects can be imbued with cultural and political significance.