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Bronze 1/2 Unit Canterbury Lion
| Issuer | Cantii tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 50 BC - 25 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Stylised facing head rendered in the insular Celtic tradition, with large circular eyes depicted as raised annulets with central pellets, a broad nose, and a schematic mouth. The hair radiates outward from the crown in bold sweeping relief lines, framing the visage in a characteristic Late Iron Age decorative manner. The field to the right is occupied by a vertical row of three pellets. The flan is irregular and slightly convex, with a patina of green corrosion consistent with prolonged burial. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylised lion passant to the left, rendered in the abstract Celtic idiom with exaggerated musculature and a curvilinear body. The tail curves upward over the haunches in a pronounced arc, and the limbs are depicted in dynamic striding posture. An annulet with central pellet appears above the animal's back, and further pellets and curvilinear ornaments fill the field. The design derives ultimately from Classical prototypes but is thoroughly reinterpreted in the native British artistic vocabulary. |
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| Additional information |
The Cantii occupied the southeastern corner of Britain — roughly modern Kent — and were among the tribes encountered directly by Caesar during his expeditions of 55 and 54 BC. Whether this small bronze fractional issue predates that contact or reflects the monetary disruption that followed it remains debated, but the dating range places it squarely within the generation that negotiated tribute arrangements with Rome and began absorbing continental Gallo-Belgic coin conventions into local production.
At half a gram, these circulated as genuine low-denomination exchange pieces rather than prestige objects — workaday coinage for a tribe whose territory controlled the primary crossing points from Gaul.