Anonymous Follis c. 1075 - 1080

Curator: Well, isn’t that little thing just radiating history? It's an anonymous follis, over at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks so worn and humble, almost like a forgotten worry. I suppose that’s the paradox of currency, isn’t it? Both powerful and incredibly fragile, imbued with our projected needs. Curator: Absolutely! On one side, there’s an image of Christ, and on the other, a cross. A potent combo, meant to say something about power, absolutely, but also about salvation, I think. Editor: You see the cross as salvation? I’m struck by how it was used as an emblem of systemic oppression by religious institutions. Who decides what is sacred, and for whom? Curator: It’s true the cross has become laden with so much… baggage. Yet, looking at the follis, I feel drawn to its modest scale. It reminds me that even tiny objects can carry immense weight. Editor: Indeed, the weight of empires, ideologies, and countless transactions rests on this small coin. A potent reminder of the intersection between faith, economy, and human agency.