Half-Stavraton of Manuel II c. 1391 - 1425

Editor: Here we have a Half-Stavraton of Manuel II. It's tiny, coin-sized, and kind of worn with age. I can just make out the figures on each side. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, a tangible whisper from the Byzantine Empire! To me, it's a portal. I imagine Manuel II himself clutching this, a king perhaps contemplating the weight of his reign, the faces etched on the coin mirroring the anxieties of leadership. It makes me wonder, what did he spend it on? Editor: A king using it himself? I hadn't considered that. Curator: Perhaps! Or perhaps it was lost, found centuries later, a tiny time capsule reminding us that even empires crumble. Editor: I love that idea, a time capsule we can hold in our hands.