Anonymous Follis c. 1030 - 1042

Curator: This is an Anonymous Follis, a copper-alloy coin from the Harvard Art Museums. Its weight is about 11.5 grams. Editor: It has a solemn gravity, doesn’t it? The worn surface speaks of countless transactions and journeys. Curator: Precisely. Consider the coin's production; each strike, each bit of wear reflects labor and its place in commerce. The icon on its face is just as important. Editor: The figure seems to radiate an otherworldly aura. Is that Christ? It has a profound link between the divine and the mundane. Curator: Yes, likely Christ. The inscription on the reverse would have reinforced that belief. It’s amazing to think how something so small could carry such weight in people's lives. Editor: It makes you wonder what hands this passed through, what hopes and fears it represented for them. Curator: Indeed. Materiality and faith, deeply intertwined. Editor: It is amazing to consider how a simple coin has such enduring power and significance.