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Quinarius with sword and pentagram
| Issuer | Bituriges Cubi |
|---|---|
| Year | 100 BC - 60 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.91 g |
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| Obverse description | Stylized male head facing left, depicted in the Celto-Italic artistic tradition with schematic facial features including a large almond-shaped eye, prominent nose, and a crested helmet rendered in fluid, abstracted lines. The hair or helmet crest flows in decorative curvilinear strands behind the head. The entire motif is enclosed within a beaded border running along the coin's periphery. The workmanship reflects the Gaulish adaptation of Hellenistic prototypes, with native stylization replacing classical naturalism. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Bituriges Cubi controlled a substantial territory in what is now the Berry region of central Gaul, with their capital at Avaricum — the same city Caesar would later describe as the most beautiful in all of Gaul before ordering its destruction in 52 BC. Their silver quinarii follow the broad Gaulish imitation tradition derived from Macedonian prototypes, but the pentagram element on this type is a local iconographic choice whose precise ritual or administrative significance remains unresolved among Celtic numismatists.
The weight standard is notably light even against contemporary Gaulish quinarii, suggesting either deliberate debasement or regional convention.