Coin of Manuel I c. 12th century

Curator: Looking at this, I feel like I’m peering into a very tangible past. It's like holding history in your hand. Editor: Indeed! We have here a coin, designated to Manuel I, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Weighing a mere 3.83 grams, it's a poignant artifact. I can almost smell the economics of it. Curator: Absolutely. The wear and tear whisper stories of countless transactions, of hands exchanging it, of markets bustling and empires shifting. It's really the medium through which the daily bread was secured. Editor: Precisely. The materiality speaks volumes about Byzantium's economic and political systems. To me, it is more than currency; it's a physical document of a society. Curator: Beautifully said. It's a reminder that even the smallest object can carry enormous weight, both literally and figuratively, isn’t it? Editor: I concur entirely; let's allow its modest presence to linger.