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Gold Stater with anthropomorphic horse
| Issuer | Aulerci Cenomani |
|---|---|
| Year | 80 BC - 50 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Stylized male head facing right, derived from the Hellenistic Apollo type of Philip II of Macedon, rendered in the distinctive Celtic artistic idiom. The hair is elaborately treated, with flowing locks swept back and rendered as bold relief curls and elongated strands radiating from the crown. A leafy wreath or diadem is suggested atop the head, with individual elements depicted as deeply modeled raised forms. The facial profile is pronounced, with a well-defined brow, almond-shaped eye rendered in low relief, and a strong jaw. Small pellets are visible in the field before the face, a characteristic decorative element of Cenomani coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Highly stylized anthropomorphic horse galloping to the right, the hallmark type of the Aulerci Cenomani. The horse's body is rendered in a schematic, abstracted Celtic manner, with the head replaced by a human face shown in profile with clearly delineated facial features including an open mouth with visible teeth. The limbs are rendered as elongated, curvilinear forms, and the mane is depicted as a row of raised pellets or beaded crests. A chariot wheel or annulet device is visible in the lower left field, and additional abstract geometric or zoomorphic symbols occupy the surrounding field, consistent with the typical reverse composition of this issue. |
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| Additional information |
The Aulerci Cenomani occupied territory roughly corresponding to the modern Sarthe department, with their principal center at Vindinum — present-day Le Mans. Their coinage developed under sustained influence from Armorican and Belgic traditions while maintaining a distinctly local idiom, which is precisely what produced the striking stylistic abstraction seen on this type. By the mid-first century BC, their political autonomy was narrowing rapidly under Roman pressure following Caesar's Gallic campaigns, and coin production among the Cenomani effectively ceased as tribal structures were dismantled and absorbed into the new provincial order.