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Bronze Unit - Dubnovellaunos Corded
| Issuer | Trinovantes tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 30 BC - 25 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Stylised Celtic head facing right, rendered in a distinctly abstract La Tène artistic tradition. The hair is depicted as a series of bold corded or rope-like striations sweeping back from the face toward the right field, a hallmark decorative motif of this issue. Facial features — including a schematic eye rendered as a pellet and a broad nose — are summarily but expressively modelled in low relief. The flan is irregular and the overall composition fills the die with characteristic Late Iron Age fluency. |
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| Reverse description | A stylised horse advances to the right, its body rendered in the abstract Celtic artistic manner characteristic of Late Iron Age British coinage. The mane is depicted as a series of corded or rope-like strands mirroring the treatment of the hair on the obverse, providing visual coherence between both dies. Scattered ring or annulet devices appear in the field around the horse, serving as decorative fill elements typical of Trinovantian bronze issues. The composition is compact and energetic, with the horse's legs indicated by short schematic strokes. No legend is present. |
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| Additional information |
Dubnovellaunus ruled the Trinovantes in the decades immediately following Julius Caesar's two expeditions into Britain, a period when southeastern British tribes were actively adopting Gaulish and Roman coin-using habits without any Roman administrative presence to enforce them. The "corded" descriptor refers to a specific die variety distinguished by a rope-like border element — a detail significant enough to warrant its own ABC reference rather than lumping it with related Dubnovellaunus bronzes.
His name appears on coins of both the Trinovantes and later the Cantii, suggesting either territorial expansion or political displacement. A ruler identified as Dubnovellaunus was listed among British kings who sent embassies to Augustus, recorded by the emperor himself in the Res Gestae.