Tetarteron of Alexios III c. 1197 - 1203

Curator: Here we have the Tetarteron of Alexios III, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Its physical presence is significant, weighing in at just 4.55 grams. Editor: It feels like holding history in your palm, doesn't it? These tiny imprints of power, rubbed smooth by time. I wonder what stories it could tell. Curator: The composition invites close examination; the stylized depiction of Alexios III reflects a rigid adherence to Byzantine iconography. Notice the deliberate placement of symbols. Editor: The weight of the past is palpable. I can almost feel the echoes of marketplace haggling and royal decrees clinging to its surface. It's a potent little object. Curator: Indeed, an artifact like this prompts one to contemplate value, both monetary and symbolic, through a semiotic lens. Editor: It makes you think about what we value now, and what future generations will find when they dig us up. Heavy stuff.