Thefollis (pluralfolles;Italian:follaro,Arabic:فلس,romanized: fals) was a type of coin in theRoman andByzantine traditions.
The termfollis is used for a largebronze Romancoin denomination introduced by Diocletian in about 294. The term "nummus" is now thought to be the actual ancient term, but usage of "nummus" has not caught on.[1] At first the follis weighed about 10 grams and was about 4% silver, with a thin layer of silver on the surface. Over the next decades it declined both in size and in silver content.
The wordfollis means bag (usually made of leather) in Latin, and there is evidence that this term was used in antiquity for asealed 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. Latinfolium, "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 theEdict on Maximum Prices (301), was revalued and reduced as time passed. By the time ofConstantine the Great, it was smaller and barely contained any silver. A series ofConstantinian 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 first being the largest (near 27 mm) and the last the smallest (averaging 15 mm) in diameter. Namely:
| AE1 | AE2 | AE3 | AE4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| over 25 mm | 21 – 25 mm | 17 – 21 mm | under 17 mm |
Large hoards of folles have been discovered all across the Roman empire. For example, inSeaton Down, Devon, England, near the site of a second- to third-century Roman villa and fortifications, 22,888folles were found in 2013.[2] Fourth centuryfolles represent the largest category of coin finds in the United Kingdom.[3] Between 30,000 and 50,000 exceptionally well-preservedfolles from the first half of the fourth century were discovered in the sea near the north-east shore ofSardinia in 2023.[4]
The term "follis" is used for the large bronze coin denomination (40 nummi) introduced in 498, with thecoinage reform of Anastasius, which included a series of bronze denominations with their values marked inGreek numerals.
Thefals (a corruption offollis) was a bronze coin issued by theUmayyad andAbbasidcaliphates beginning in the late 8th century, initially as imitations of the Byzantine follis.
