Anonymous Follis c. 1042 - 1050

Curator: This small coin, known as an Anonymous Follis, resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. The artifact's weight is only 6.82 grams. Editor: It's incredible how such a diminutive object can feel so heavy with history. I'm struck by the worn surfaces, whispering stories of countless transactions. Curator: Indeed. As a form of currency, its copper alloy composition speaks to the vast networks of extraction, minting, and circulation that sustained ancient economies and empires. Think of the labor. Editor: And the iconography! The figure, though faded, is clearly Christ. This coin wasn't just a means of exchange; it was a portable symbol of faith and power, disseminated through the Byzantine world. Curator: Precisely! It blurs the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, revealing how religious iconography was integrated into the very fabric of everyday life. Editor: It’s a fascinating interplay between material reality and symbolic weight—a tiny object carrying immense cultural resonance. Curator: Agreed, and examining its materiality allows us to connect to the lived experiences of individuals long gone.