Anonymous Follis c. 1042 - 1050

Editor: This is an Anonymous Follis coin from the Harvard Art Museums. It's so small and worn, but you can still make out the designs. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The Follis, even in its anonymity, speaks volumes about power structures. The imagery, though standardized, reinforced Byzantine imperial and religious authority. It was currency, yes, but also propaganda. Editor: Propaganda? How so? Curator: By circulating these images – the emperor, religious symbols – the state visually permeated everyday life. Consider how these coins were encountered, traded, and their images absorbed into the collective consciousness. Editor: That's fascinating. I never thought of a coin as a form of political messaging. Curator: Indeed. It demonstrates how art, even in its most utilitarian form, is never truly neutral; it always participates in the construction and maintenance of social order. Editor: I’ll never look at coins the same way again. Thanks.