Anonymous Follis c. 1050 - 1060

Curator: Here we have an Anonymous Follis, a fascinating coin held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, I sense the weight of history, the feel of it in my palm, even though I’m just looking at a picture. Curator: As coinage, it reminds us of broader economic systems and social exchanges. We see the traces of material production, of minting processes. Editor: It’s remarkable how a small disc of metal can carry such a powerful spiritual charge; the figures almost seem to glow from within. Curator: The coin as commodity and cultural artifact is shaped by the hands of its makers and users. Editor: Gazing at it, I imagine the stories it could tell—the markets it passed through, the hands it changed, the hopes it carried.