Large Follis of Anastasios I, Constantinople c. 498 - 518

Curator: Here we have a Large Follis of Anastasios I from Constantinople, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks weighty, doesn't it? Evokes the tangible reality of empire, reduced to this small, worn object. Curator: Indeed. The follis, a bronze coin, bears the image of Anastasios I, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, on one side. Notice the deliberate iconography – how it communicates power and legitimacy. Editor: And on the other side, the prominent "M," representing the denomination, surrounded by potent Christian symbols. It's fascinating how the economic and the sacred are so overtly intertwined. The politics of imagery, really. Curator: Precisely. These symbols, repeated and circulated, reinforced the emperor's divine mandate and shaped the collective consciousness of the Byzantine world. It's a small object with a massive impact. Editor: Thinking about it, these coins were one of the earliest forms of mass communication. A fascinating thought. Curator: Absolutely. A potent artifact with enduring resonance.