Catalog
2 Stater Charioteer facing right
| Issuer | Uncertain Gallia Celtica tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 200 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 17.05 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A biga (two-horse chariot) galloping to the right, driven by a charioteer shown in profile leaning forward with reins extended. The charioteer is depicted with a helmeted or capped head and a simplified draped body, seated in a two-wheeled chariot rendered with a visible spoked wheel on the left. A small ornamental symbol, possibly a triskele or wheel motif, appears beneath the horses in the lower field. A horizontal ground line separates the main design from the exergue, within which the Greek legend ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ is inscribed, reading from left to right. The design is a Celtic derivative of the reverse type of Philip II of Macedon gold staters, rendered with characteristic La Tène stylization. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ (Translation: Philip.) |
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| Additional information |
Celtic staters of this class descend directly from the gold Philip II staters of Macedon that flooded westward through mercenary pay during the 4th century BC. Over successive generations of copying, Gaulish die-cutters progressively abstracted the original Hellenistic design into increasingly schematic forms — a process driven not by artistic degradation but by deliberate stylistic choices within a visual tradition that had no interest in naturalism. The "2 Stater" format, roughly double the weight of a standard stater, likely served inter-tribal exchange or tribute rather than everyday commerce.
The "var." notations against DT and LT reflect genuine die individuality; no two specimens of this type align cleanly to a single reference plate.