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1/4 Stater with Janus head
| Issuer | Mediomatrici |
|---|---|
| Year | 120 BC - 60 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Schematized bifacial Janus head depicted in the Celtic artistic tradition, with two back-to-back faces rendered in low relief and flanked by pellet groupings on either side. The facial features are highly stylized, with prominent rounded foreheads, large circular eyes, and elongated noses merging at the centre. A radiating floral or foliate motif crowns the top of the double head, composed of pellets and linear elements. The coin border is defined by a partial row of pellets along the rim, characteristic of Gaulish quarter-stater coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A horse prancing to the left rendered in the abstracted La Tène style, with elongated limbs, a curved neck adorned with a pellet-dotted mane, and splayed legs suggesting vigorous movement. Vestiges of a disjointed charioteer figure appear above the horse's back, reduced to geometric linear elements as is typical of late Gaulish coinage. A large multi-petalled star or rosette motif occupies the exergue beneath the horse, surrounded by pellets and curved strokes. The overall composition fills the flan in a dynamic, highly stylized manner consistent with the Mediomatrici tribal coinage of the late La Tène period. |
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| Additional information |
The Mediomatrici occupied the Moselle valley around present-day Metz, positioned at a crossroads between Celtic Gaul and Germanic pressure from the east. Their coinage reflects sustained contact with Mediterranean monetary culture — the Janus-head type almost certainly derives from exposure to Roman Republican issues rather than any indigenous iconographic tradition, absorbed through trade networks moving up the Rhône-Rhine corridor well before Caesar's campaigns brought direct confrontation.
Fractional gold of this weight class was almost certainly used in elite exchange rather than everyday commerce. The alloy, well below pure, is consistent with a broader Gaulish trend of progressive gold debasement across the final century BC.