Catalog
1 Follaro - Roger II Mary
| Issuer | Kingdom of Sicily (Italian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1150 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Follaro (1⁄72) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΜΡ ΘΥ |
| Reverse description | Kufic Arabic inscription filling the entire reverse field in multiple lines, rendered in the angular, highly stylized script characteristic of Norman-Sicilian follari of Roger II. The legend, typical of this issue, references the ruler's title and regnal information in the Fatimid-influenced administrative tradition maintained by the Norman court of Palermo. The inscription is arranged within a beaded border conforming to the polygonal shape of the flan. Decorative dot ornaments appear in the field between lines of text. The overall design reflects the multicultural administrative heritage of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. |
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| Additional information |
Roger II modeled this follaro on Fatimid copper coinage still circulating in Sicily decades after the Norman conquest — a deliberate acknowledgment that Arabic-speaking Muslims remained the majority population of the island and a functional monetary concession to their commercial habits. His court at Palermo operated in Arabic, Greek, and Latin simultaneously, and the coinage reflected that trilingual administration rather than imposing a purely Latin framework on a conquered people.
Roger died in 1154, placing this issue in the final years of his reign.