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Bronze with branches
| Issuer | Nervii |
|---|---|
| Year | 60 BC - 50 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Abstract Celtic design composed of pellet-tipped branches radiating across the field, arranged in a stylized foliate pattern. A central grouping of large pellets or annulets is flanked by smaller pellets, with the branches linked at the center by two cross-shaped elements. The overall composition is deeply geometric and schematic, characteristic of late Iron Age Belgic coinage. The flan is irregular and the strike somewhat off-center, consistent with primitive hammered production. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A schematized horse prancing to the right occupies the lower portion of the field, rendered in the abstracted Celtic artistic tradition with segmented body lines and curved limbs. Above and in front of the horse, a spoked wheel motif is depicted, a common symbol in Belgic Celtic numismatic iconography often associated with solar or divine symbolism. Additional pellets and linear elements fill the surrounding field. The die is crudely engraved and the strike is characteristic of hand-hammered Gaulish bronze coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The Nervii occupied territory in what is now southern Belgium and were among the most formidable of the Belgic tribes — Caesar described them as having deliberately cut themselves off from trade with Roman merchants to prevent the softening effects of imported wine and luxury goods. Their resistance during the Gallic Wars was exceptional; the battle of the Sabis in 57 BC nearly destroyed his army before Roman discipline recovered. Coinage attributed to them is sparse, and documented varieties remain poorly systematized, which explains the DT#632 "var." designation here.