Anonymous Follis c. 1042 - 1050

Curator: Here we have an Anonymous Follis, housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a small coin, really, just 7.05 grams of history in your hand, if you could hold it. Editor: It looks pretty weathered. Like it’s seen a lot, maybe a little bit haunted? Curator: Well, its anonymity is precisely its power. These folles circulated widely, becoming symbols of imperial authority without tying themselves to any single ruler’s image. Editor: So, less about the face, more about the system? Still, there's something incredibly human about holding a piece of currency handled by countless others. Curator: Absolutely. It speaks to the way power functions, subtly shaping daily life through these small, ubiquitous objects. Editor: Makes you think about what our own coins say about us, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely! These objects remind us of our own participation in broader systems, even through the simplest transactions.