Anonymous Follis c. 1030 - 1042

Editor: Here we have an "Anonymous Follis" from the Harvard Art Museums. It's undated and the artist is, well, anonymous! It appears to be a coin, so probably made of metal. It feels like a humble object. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a potent symbol of power dynamics. The anonymity itself speaks volumes. Who gets to be remembered, and whose labor fades into the background? Consider the socio-economic structures that necessitated the creation of this coin, and who it served. What populations were excluded? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t thought about it in terms of anonymity as exclusion. Curator: Exactly! Even something as seemingly simple as a coin is embedded in larger systems of control and visibility. Hopefully, this coin encourages you to think critically about the narratives we inherit. Editor: It definitely does. Thanks for opening my eyes.