Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Bronze with elephant HIRTIVS
| Issuer | Treveri |
|---|---|
| Year | 50 BC - 40 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 | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| 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 | An elephant depicted in profile advancing to the right, rendered in a bold, provincial style characteristic of late Celtic coinage. The animal's body is shown with summary but recognizable anatomical detail, including the curved trunk and distinctive domed head. The legend A HIRTIV appears in the lower field or exergue, referencing the Roman magistrate Aulus Hirtius, reflecting the coin's hybrid Gallo-Roman character. The flan is irregular and the relief is moderately worn, consistent with hand-struck provincial production. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (50 BC - 40 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Treveri, a powerful Belgic tribe occupying territory along the Moselle valley, minted this bronze during a period of acute political pressure following Caesar's Gallic campaigns. The tribe had resisted Roman conquest more stubbornly than most — Indutiomarus led a revolt in 54 BC that briefly threatened Caesar's winter quarters — and coinage from this window reflects a community negotiating its identity under encroaching Roman dominance. The elephant motif appearing on issues attributed to this tribe almost certainly derives from contact with Roman military imagery, possibly introduced through legionary presence in the region.