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Silver 1/2 Unit - Belgae Danebury Cogwheel Leaves
| Issuer | Atrebates and Regini tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 BC - 45 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylised horse moving to the left occupies the central field, rendered in the schematic, disjointed manner characteristic of Celtic Iron Age coinage derived from Macedonian prototypes. Above the horse, a spoked cogwheel or solar disc motif is prominently placed in the upper field. Below the horse, a series of annulets or ring pellets are arranged in a loose grouping, serving as decorative fill elements. The composition is compact, with the abstracted equine form and celestial symbols filling the small flan. No inscription or legend is present. |
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| Mintage | ND (55 BC - 45 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Atrebates occupied a territory spanning modern Hampshire and Berkshire, and their coinage emerged partly in response to Julius Caesar's two British expeditions of 55 and 54 BC, which disrupted existing tribute networks and accelerated the adoption of coin-using practices among southern British tribes. The "Danebury Cogwheel" type takes its name from the Iron Age hillfort in Hampshire where diagnostic examples have been recovered — find-spot association rather than mint location, since no Celtic British mint infrastructure in the Roman sense existed.
At half a gram, these fractions were likely used in transactions too small for the standard unit, though their precise role in the Atrebatan exchange system remains debated.