Byzantine Coin of Romanos IV

Harvardartmuseums.org

For my object biography, I will be working with a coin of Romanos IV. It is a silver coin from the Byzantine world that is thought to have been produced around the year 1070. Coins seem to be an abundant resource as far as Medieval artifacts go, and at first I thought I'd opt to study some different type of object, something more unique. As I looked more closely at the coins, however, I realized that each coin is unique. Each one has its own story and its own purpose, completely different from the next. Variations in shape, material, iconography, and writing struck my interest and made me want to learn more about the world of coins.

The first thing that struck me about this particular coin was the hole. Why is there a hole in the coin? Was it made to be worn like a charm? If so, did it actually function as currency as well? The second thing was the title “Coin of Romanos IV.” Who was Romanos IV? What is his story? How does it relate to the story of this coin? In this way, this object stirred question after question within me and I decided that it is worth digging deeper. I feel that getting to know this coin will lead me to better picture the people who held it, the places it travelled, and the beliefs that dominated that time period.

I plan to begin by studying the big picture and then work smaller and smaller. I will let my study be guided by the questions I have about the object. I will first try to answer, through books and internet research, questions like “What was the state of the Byzantine empire in 1070?” and then work my way to specific matters, like the mysterious hole.