FOLLIS: COIN OF ROMAN EMPIRE
Follis, 314-315 AD: Roman Empire
Ruler: Constantine I (Constantine the Great) — Roman emperor from 306 to 337.
Naked Sol — personification of the Sun and a god in ancient Roman religion.
SOLI INVICTO COMITI: Sol — invincible companion /of the emperor/.
Symbols "R", "F", "X": probably, ROMA FELIX — happy Rome.
Laureate bust of Constantine I.
IMP CONSTANTINVS P F AVG: IMPERATOR CONSTANTINVS PIUS FELIX AVGUSTUS — Emperor Constantine Pious and Blessed Augustus.
Rome mint, 4th officina (symbol "RQ" under Sol).
- Bronze: 20 mm - 2.9 g
- Reference price: 23$
COIN FOLLIS — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- ROMAN EMPIRE (3th-4th centuries)
- BYZANTINE EMPIRE (6th-12th centuries): 1 follis = 40 nummi (singular: nummus)
- CRUSADER AND CHRISTIAN STATES IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN: Principality of Antioch + County of Edessa (12th century)
- KINGDOM OF HUNGARY (12th century): "scyphate follis"
- BULGARIAN EMPIRE (12th-13th centuries): "imitation of follis"
The name of the follis coin became attached to it later — only in the Middle Ages. According to the basic version, the word "follis" in Latin means bag (usually made of leather), and there is evidence that this term was used in antiquity for a sealed bag containing a specific amount of coinage. According to another version, the coin was named follis because of the ancient Greek word "φολίς" meaning a thin layer of metal which covers the surface of various objects, since originally, this coin had a thin layer of silver.
