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Gold 1/4 Stater Rose Wings
| Issuer | Catuvellauni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 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 and abstracted derivation of the laureate head of Apollo, rendered in the late Iron Age Celtic idiom with crossed wreath bands dissolving into linear and pellet ornament. A prominent large pellet-in-ring motif, interpreted as a flower or rose, occupies the central field, flanked by curved and looped decorative elements characteristic of Catuvellauni die-cutting. The design retains only vestigial anthropomorphic features, the facial elements having been fully absorbed into geometric patterning. The flan is irregular and the relief bold, consistent with hand-hammered British Celtic gold coinage of the mid-first century BC. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Catuvellauni occupied territory roughly corresponding to modern Hertfordshire and Essex, and their coinage emerged under influence from Gallo-Belgic prototypes filtering across the Channel in the decades before Caesar's expeditions. By the time this quarter stater was being produced, Caesar had already made his two incursions into Britain — 55 and 54 BC — neither resulting in permanent occupation, but both disrupting tribal politics severely enough to accelerate the consolidation of Catuvellaunian power under rulers like Tasciovanus.
Van Arsdell 244-01 places this type within a tightly defined series. The fractional denominations of Celtic gold are notoriously underrepresented in hoards relative to full staters, suggesting limited but purposeful use rather than general circulation.