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Bronze Unit Hengistbury Trident
| Issuer | Durotriges tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 10-45 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Bronze Unit |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a stylised wreath-like device occupying the central field, surrounded by a ring of raised pellets arranged in a circular pattern. Within the encircling pellets, additional pellets and a branch-like motif are visible, rendered in the abstract, degenerate style typical of late Durotrigan cast bronze coinage. The design shows a marked departure from earlier representational traditions, reflecting the progressive abstraction of Gaulish prototypes. Relief is low and surface detail variable due to the casting technique. No legend or inscription is present. |
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| Mintage | ND (10-45) |
| Additional information |
The Durotriges occupied the territory of modern Dorset and parts of Somerset and Wiltshire, and their bronze coinage represents a late, localised response to the near-total collapse of their silver currency — coins that had progressively debased from good silver staters into pieces so degraded they were barely distinguishable from tin. This bronze unit emerged in the final decades before the Claudian invasion of 43 AD, a period when the tribe's political autonomy was shrinking under pressure from the pro-Roman Atrebates to the north.
Hengistbury Head, the probable mint site, had been one of the most significant cross-Channel trading ports in southern Britain a generation earlier, though that traffic had largely dried up by the time these bronzes were struck.