Catalog
Bronze Unit - Tasciovanos Tasciovanos Laureate
| Issuer | Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 15 BC - 10 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.5 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A robust, stylised horse depicted striding left with its tail arched upward and curled over the body in a distinctive Celtic convention. A pellet triad is positioned beneath the horse in the lower field. The design is enclosed within a raised linear border, with additional pellet and annulet ornaments visible in the field to the left of the horse. The composition reflects the abstract, energetic quality typical of late Iron Age British coinage in the Catuvellaunian tradition. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Tasciovanos ruled the Catuvellauni from roughly the late first century BC and was almost certainly the father of Cunobelin — the historical figure behind Shakespeare's Cymbeline. His bronze issues were struck at Verlamion, the oppidum that later became Roman Verulamium, modern St Albans. The laureate type specifically suggests deliberate engagement with Roman iconographic conventions, likely reflecting diplomatic contact or trade pressure from the expanding Roman sphere following Caesar's expeditions.
ABC 2697 is among the scarcer attributed bronzes in the series; many Tasciovanos bronzes surface as stray metal-detector finds in Hertfordshire and Essex.