Anonymous Follis of DOC Class I c. 1080

Curator: This is an Anonymous Follis of DOC Class I from the collections of the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's small and worn, yet the incised images still hint at a grand narrative. What statement does this small coin make? Curator: Folles like these were Byzantine currency. They demonstrate the intersection of religious and secular power, as they were widely circulated and used in everyday transactions. Editor: I see how the crude but expressive rendering of the central figure interacts with the surrounding ornamental forms. A perfect encapsulation of that era’s aesthetic. Curator: Indeed, the imagery reinforced imperial authority but also served as daily reminders of the Byzantine empire’s cultural and religious values. Editor: A tiny, ubiquitous object that still holds so much weight through the ages. Curator: Precisely, its modest form belies its potent role in a vast, complex society.