Coin 

Curator: Here we have a coin, weighing 4.63 grams, issued during the Byzantine Empire and held in the collections of the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks incredibly weathered! There's a palpable sense of age in the pitted surfaces and the way the metal has shifted color. Curator: Indeed. Coins of this kind served not only as currency, but also as powerful symbols of imperial authority and religious belief. Consider the iconography, likely a depiction of an emperor or a saint, deliberately chosen to legitimize power. Editor: I find the irregular shape fascinating. It disrupts any sense of formal perfection, offering a contrast between the intended message and the lived reality of its circulation. Curator: Exactly. Think of its journey through countless hands, across vast distances, each touch leaving its mark, altering its original form and symbolic power. Editor: It's intriguing how such a small object can carry so much weight, both literally and figuratively, a fragment of a civilization. Curator: It is a tangible link to the past, reminding us of the complex interplay between power, faith, and the everyday lives of people long gone. Editor: I leave with a heightened awareness of the transformative power of time and human contact on even the most durable objects.