Catalog
Potin with hippocampus, head with balled hair
| Issuer | Aedui |
|---|---|
| Year | 60 BC - 50 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Potin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A highly abstracted hippocampus rendered in the Celtic triskeles convention, facing right. The creature's body is dissolved into three sweeping curvilinear arms radiating from a central point, evoking both the mythological sea-horse and the rotational triskeles motif characteristic of La Tène decorative art. The limbs and tail are suggested by bold, flowing relief curves that fill the irregular flan. No legend or exergual inscription is present. The design reflects the progressive Celticization of the Classical hippocampus type by Aeduan die-cutters. |
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| Mintage | ND (60 BC - 50 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Aedui occupied a strategically pivotal position in central Gaul — nominally allied with Rome yet deeply entangled in the intertribal conflicts that gave Caesar his pretext for intervention after 58 BC. This potin falls squarely within the decade Caesar spent dismantling Gaulish political independence, and circulation likely ended abruptly rather than through ordinary attrition.
Potin — a cast lead-tin-copper alloy — was the Aedui's practical answer to a shortage of precious metal for small-denomination exchange. Cast rather than struck, these pieces frequently show seam lines from the clay molds.