Catalog
Bronze Unit Hengistbury Hairy
| Issuer | Durotriges tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 10-45 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylised facing head rendered in abstract Celtic manner, dominated by a prominent central vertical ridge representing the nose, flanked by two deeply incised spiral or concentric-circle motifs indicating the eyes. The surrounding field is covered with dense diagonal and parallel lines evoking hair or facial texture, giving rise to the 'Hairy' type designation. A bold semicircular arc at the lower portion of the flan suggests the chin or lower face, while the overall composition fills the flan to its irregular edges. No legend or inscription is present. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (10-45) |
| Additional information |
The Durotriges occupied what is now Dorset and parts of Somerset and Wiltshire, and their coinage underwent a long, documented decline — from gold to debased silver to bronze — as Roman pressure on southern Britain intensified in the decades before the Claudian invasion of 43 AD. The Hengistbury Head type takes its name from the major Iron Age port and trading site on the Hampshire coast, a hub for cross-Channel commerce with Armorica that Rome eventually disrupted. By the time bronze units like this were circulating, the tribe's economy had contracted sharply.