Catalog
Gold Stater - Andoco Phallic Bucranium
| Issuer | Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 20 BC - 1 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Cruciform wreath design composed of two interlacing curved wreaths radiating from the centre, with back-to-back crescents at the central axis. Four pellet-in-ring motifs are positioned adjacent to the central crescents, with additional outline crescents and pellet-in-ring ornaments distributed throughout the field. Hidden faces are concealed within the angles of the design, a characteristic feature of Late Iron Age Celtic coinage. Scattered pellets further animate the field in the abstract La Tène artistic tradition. |
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| Mintage | ND (20 BC - 1 BC) - VA 1860-01: No pellets between crescents - ND (20 BC - 1 BC) - VA 1860-05: Two pellets between crescents - ND (20 BC - 1 BC) - VA 1860-07: Thee pellets between crescents - |
| Additional information |
Andoco is one of the more obscure rulers of the Catuvellauni, known almost entirely through his coinage rather than any surviving textual record. His issues appear late in the pre-conquest sequence, overlapping chronologically with Tasciovanus, which has fueled debate about whether Andoco was a co-ruler, a regional sub-king, or a usurper who briefly controlled part of the tribal territory — possibly centered on the Verulamium area.
The phallic and bucranium imagery on this type carries ritual and apotropaic weight rooted in Iron Age religious practice, not decorative whim. ABC 2715 is among the scarcer Andoco attributions.