Anonymous Follis c. 1042 - 1050

Curator: Immediately, I feel a powerful sense of history, of countless transactions and journeys held within that small, worn form. Editor: Indeed. This is an Anonymous Follis, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Given the nature of these coins, it's impossible to know who actually created this, and it makes me wonder if they had any sense of how much history it would one day hold. Curator: The anonymous creator is rather poetic, isn't it? It's about the collective, a society using these coins, less about individual expression, and more about communal function. Editor: Absolutely. The imagery of the cross, prominently displayed, speaks volumes about the role of the church and the Byzantine empire in everyday life. Curator: It's a tangible piece of history, whispering tales of empires, trade, and the shared human experience of value and exchange. The weight of 11.22 grams, so much history! Editor: It certainly puts our contemporary concepts of currency into perspective, doesn't it? It's a reminder that even the smallest objects can carry immense historical weight.