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Gold 1/4 Stater - Eastern North Thames Essex Wheels
| Issuer | Trinovantes tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 50 BC - 45 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylised, abstracted derivation of the Apollo head type, rendered in characteristic Late Iron Age Celtic idiom. Vestiges of the laureate wreath are represented by inward-pointing leaf forms, while a prominent spike composed of converging lines and pellet-in-ring ornaments rises from the crown of the flan. Crescent motifs and a draped cloak element survive as residual design features flanking the central composition. Pellet-in-ring devices are dispersed throughout the hair vestiges, serving as characteristic decorative fill. A spoked wheel motif appears at the upper margin of the flan, a hallmark of the Essex Wheels series. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Trinovantes occupied territory roughly corresponding to modern Essex and southern Suffolk, and were among the more politically consequential tribes of late Iron Age Britain — Julius Caesar names them explicitly in his Gallic War accounts as seeking Roman protection against the Catuvellauni, their aggressive western neighbors. That diplomatic overture, made directly to Caesar during his 54 BC expedition, suggests a tribe already experienced in playing external powers against domestic rivals. This quarter stater likely circulated within that charged political environment, functioning in elite exchange networks rather than everyday commerce.