In the past, the term follis was used to describe a large bronze Roman coin introduced in about 294 (the actual name of this coin is unknown[1]) at the time of the coinage reform of Diocletian. It weighed about 10 grams and was about 4% silver, mostly as a thin layer on the surface. However, later studies have shown that this is wrong, and that this coin may have been known as a "nummus". The word follis means bag (usually made of leather) in Latin, and there is evidence that this term was used in antiquity for a sealed bag containing a specific amount of coinage. It has also been suggested that the coin was named Follis because of the ancient Greek word "φολίς" meaning a thin layer of metal (cf. Latin folium, "leaf") which covers the surface of various objects, since originally, this coin had a thin layer of silver on top. The 'follis' of Diocletian, despite efforts to enforce prices with the Edict on Maximum Prices (301), was revalued and reduced as time passed. By the time of Constantine the Great, it was smaller and barely contained any silver. A series of Constantinian bronzes was introduced in the mid-4th century, although the specific denominations are unclear and debated by historians and numismatists. They are referred to as AE1, AE2, AE3 and AE4, with the former being the largest (near 27 mm) and the latter the smallest (averaging 15 mm) in diameter. Namely:
AE1
AE2
AE3
AE4
over 25 mm
21 – 25 mm
17 – 21 mm
under 17 mm
Fourth century folles represent the largest category of coin finds in the United Kingdom.[2]
The fals (a corruption of follis) was a bronze coin issued by the Umayyad and Abbasidcaliphates beginning in the late 8th century, initially as imitations of the Byzantine follis.
Fils, modern subdivision of certain Arab currencies
References
^Describing ancient coins 6 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine – accessed on 5 November 2011
^An introduction to Roman coins – accessed on 13 January 2014
^National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia. Macedonian currency. Banknotes in circulation: 50 Denars 29 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine. – accessed on 30 March 2009.
Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Follis.
Grierson, Philip (1999), (PDF), Dumbarton Oaks, ISBN978-0-88402-274-9, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2010
Hendy, Michael F. (1985), Studies in the Byzantine Monetary Economy c.300–1450, Cambridge University Press, ISBN0-521-24715-2
follis, other, uses, disambiguation, follis, plural, folles, italian, follaro, arabic, فلس, fels, type, coin, roman, byzantine, traditions, follis, diocletian, contents, roman, coin, byzantine, coin, also, references, sources, external, linksroman, coin, edit,. For other uses see Follis disambiguation The follis plural folles Italian follaro Arabic فلس Fels was a type of coin in the Roman and Byzantine traditions A follis of Diocletian 27 mm Contents 1 Roman coin 2 Byzantine coin 3 See also 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksRoman coin Edit Caesar Constantius II on a follis AE3 of Heraclea of the year 325 In the past the term follis was used to describe a large bronze Roman coin introduced in about 294 the actual name of this coin is unknown 1 at the time of the coinage reform of Diocletian It weighed about 10 grams and was about 4 silver mostly as a thin layer on the surface However later studies have shown that this is wrong and that this coin may have been known as a nummus The word follis means bag usually made of leather in Latin and there is evidence that this term was used in antiquity for a sealed bag containing a specific amount of coinage It has also been suggested that the coin was named Follis because of the ancient Greek word folis meaning a thin layer of metal cf Latin folium leaf which covers the surface of various objects since originally this coin had a thin layer of silver on top The follis of Diocletian despite efforts to enforce prices with the Edict on Maximum Prices 301 was revalued and reduced as time passed By the time of Constantine the Great it was smaller and barely contained any silver A series of Constantinian bronzes was introduced in the mid 4th century although the specific denominations are unclear and debated by historians and numismatists They are referred to as AE1 AE2 AE3 and AE4 with the former being the largest near 27 mm and the latter the smallest averaging 15 mm in diameter Namely AE1 AE2 AE3 AE4over 25 mm 21 25 mm 17 21 mm under 17 mmFourth century folles represent the largest category of coin finds in the United Kingdom 2 Byzantine coin Edit 40 and 5 nummi of Anastasius Constantine VII and Zoe The follis was reintroduced as a large bronze coin 40 nummi in 498 with the coinage reform of Anastasius which included a series of bronze denominations with their values marked in Greek numerals A 40 nummi coin of Anastasius is depicted on the obverse of the North Macedonian 50 denars banknote issued in 1996 3 The fals a corruption of follis was a bronze coin issued by the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates beginning in the late 8th century initially as imitations of the Byzantine follis See also EditTrifollaro a medieval coin worth 3 folles Fals Copper coin of Umayyads and Abbasids Falus former Moroccan coin Fils modern subdivision of certain Arab currenciesReferences Edit Describing ancient coins Archived 6 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine accessed on 5 November 2011 An introduction to Roman coins accessed on 13 January 2014 National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia Macedonian currency Banknotes in circulation 50 Denars Archived 29 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine accessed on 30 March 2009 Sources Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Follis Grierson Philip 1999 Byzantine coinage PDF Dumbarton Oaks ISBN 978 0 88402 274 9 archived from the original PDF on 13 June 2010 Hendy Michael F 1985 Studies in the Byzantine Monetary Economy c 300 1450 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 24715 2 Kazhdan Alexander ed 1991 The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium Oxford and New York Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 504652 8 External links EditA close look at a follis by Doug Smith Follis Coin Catalog information and details Article from Forum coins Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Follis amp oldid 1129655871, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
