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Drachm Simmering and Réte Type
| Issuer | Boii of Southwestern Slovakia |
|---|---|
| Year | 100 BC - 1 BC |
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| Value | 1 Drachm |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A stylised laureate wreath rendered in the Celtic La Tène artistic tradition, depicted as a central spine with opposing pairs of elongated oval leaves arranged symmetrically, occupying the majority of the die field. The entire motif is enclosed within a double border composed of a ring of pellets, characteristic of the Boian coinage of the Simmering-Réte series. The design is executed in high relief with bold, abstracted strokes typical of late Celtic silver coinage. No legend or inscription is present. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A highly stylised Celtic horse prancing to the left, rendered in the abstracted La Tène manner with an elongated body, detached limbs indicated by pellet-tipped appendages, and a segmented, linear torso. A quartered wheel or spoked disc symbol appears above the horse's back in the upper field, a recurring emblematic device on Boian coinage. Pellet ornaments are scattered around the horse's body, suggesting vestigial harness or decorative elements derived from earlier Hellenistic prototypes. The field is otherwise plain, with no legend or inscription present. |
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| Additional information |
The Boii of the middle Danube basin produced this reduced-weight drachm series in the final century before their effective dissolution as a political entity — a process accelerated by the Dacian king Burebista's campaigns of the 60s–50s BC, which shattered Boian settlements across the region and largely ended their coinage production. Whether this type predates or overlaps with that catastrophe is difficult to pin down within the century-long date range assigned to the series.
The Simmering hoard, excavated near Vienna, gave this type one of its names and remains the primary archaeological anchor for attributing these small silvers to southwestern Slovak Boian territory rather than neighboring Celtic groups with overlapping stylistic traditions.