One-Eighth Stavraton of John VII 1390

Curator: Looking at this small coin—the "One-Eighth Stavraton of John VII," held in the Harvard Art Museums—I'm struck by its delicate, ghostly quality. It's literally a fragment of history, isn't it? Editor: It certainly is. And it feels...well, almost medieval, in a sort of brooding, symbolic way. The worn images are so evocative. What are we actually seeing here? Curator: Well, on one side we see an image of Christ, though quite worn now. The other side would have featured the emperor, John VII. Though faint, this coin served as a powerful symbol of Byzantine authority. Editor: The weight of symbolism pressed onto something so small! Imagine all the hands it passed through, what it bought, what it signified. Each scratch a little story, like rings in a tree trunk. Curator: Absolutely. It’s a tangible link to a distant past, a whisper of power and faith rendered in silver. Editor: It’s humbling to think that something so seemingly insignificant can carry such weight, both in material and meaning. Almost makes you want to flip it and make a wish, doesn't it? Curator: Perhaps a wish for a deeper understanding of the hands that once held it. A tiny coin, a vast story.