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Potin with head to the left and left-rotating swastika
| Issuer | Bituriges Cubi |
|---|---|
| Year | 80 BC - 50 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized and schematized bust facing left, wearing a helmet rendered in a characteristically Celtic abstract manner. The facial features are summarily indicated, with a pronounced eye visible in the field and the helmet crest suggested by a raised curved element above the head. The entire design is set within a beaded or rope-like border, typical of Gaulish potin coinage. The relief is low and the casting surface shows the granular texture inherent to the potin alloy. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (80 BC - 50 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Bituriges Cubi occupied the fertile Berry region of central Gaul, with Avaricum (modern Bourges) as their principal oppidum. Their potin coinage — cast rather than struck, distinguishing it immediately from the hammered silver of neighboring tribes — was produced in significant volume during the decades preceding and following Caesar's Gallic campaigns. Avaricum was famously razed by Caesar in 52 BC, an event that likely disrupted or terminated local coin production entirely.
The left-rotating swastika on this piece marks it as a variant within DT#3502, a distinction significant enough to affect attribution in any serious Celtic reference collection.