Catalog
Bronze Unit - Tasciovanos Tasciovanos Lion
| Issuer | Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 15 BC - 10 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Romanised male head facing right, rendered in a Celto-classical style with laureate or wreath-adorned hair, the effigy exhibiting strong Italic influence consistent with late Iron Age British coinage. The portrait is boldly struck in high relief with stylised facial features. The abbreviated legend TASCIO appears in the field before the face, identifying the issuing ruler Tasciovanus of the Catuvellauni. The flan is irregular and slightly off-centre, characteristic of hand-struck Celtic bronze coinage of this period. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Tasciovanos ruled the Catuvellauni from their stronghold at Verlamion — modern St Albans — and was among the first British Celtic rulers to strike coinage in his own name rather than issuing anonymous types. That shift toward named rulership in the late first century BC is thought to reflect direct contact with Roman coinage conventions, probably through trade across the Channel rather than any military pressure at this date. Augustus had not yet seriously entertained invasion.
The bronze series attributed to Tasciovanos is considerably rarer in the archaeological record than his gold and silver issues, and surviving examples frequently show uneven flans from the casting process.