Lecture: Byzantine Money: The Politics and Aesthetics of a World Currency

Arthur M. Sackler Museum lecture hall, 485 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138

Ilse and Leo Mildenberg Memorial Lecture

Eurydice Georganteli, Harvard University Fellow in the History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University

When the Roman Empire’s capital moved from Rome to Constantinople in 330 CE, Europe’s political and economic center shifted. The coinage produced in the new imperial capital, and in cities across what was to become the Byzantine Empire, defined the society, politics, economic practices, and art of medieval Europe and beyond. This lecture, drawn from Harvard’s outstanding collections of coins and seals, explores Byzantine money as one of the most enduring world currencies.

Reception to follow lecture.

Free admission.