Trachy of Manuel III of Trebizond c. 1390 - 1416

Curator: Here we have a "Trachy" coin of Manuel III of Trebizond, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks like something you might find glinting in the mud, a little world worn smooth by time. Curator: Exactly. Its modest 0.78 grams tell a story of economic and material practices in the Trebizond empire. Editor: I see patterns within the roughness, almost like a ghostly figure trying to break free. Curator: These patterns point toward a society that valued both utility and representation through images of its ruler. What were these coins used for, who handled them, and what kind of statements did they make? Editor: It makes me consider the hands that have touched it. Each transaction is a whisper of the past. I feel like it still holds a memory of the people who have spent it. Curator: Indeed. A tiny object, but a weighty piece of cultural and economic history. Editor: Ultimately, it reminds us that value isn't always measured in size.