Anonymous Follis c. 976 - 1035

Curator: The Anonymous Follis, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums, presents a fascinating study in worn materiality. Editor: It feels like holding time itself, doesn't it? That faded profile, the barely legible inscription. A kind of ancient ghost money. Curator: Indeed. Its circular form, though slightly distorted from age, retains a certain geometric purity. The patinated surface speaks volumes about its history, its circulation. Editor: I wonder who held it last, what grand or mundane purpose it served on its last day in use. You know, before it became an artifact. Curator: We can only speculate. But its survival allows us to consider the enduring power of symbols, even when their original meaning has been partially lost. Editor: And the human desire to create meaning, to imprint ourselves on something lasting. That little bronze disc echoes with forgotten stories. Curator: Precisely. It's a humble object offering a complex invitation into the study of history. Editor: A small coin, a big story. I love that.