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Silver 1/2 Unit - Belgae Danebury Sun Flower
| Issuer | Atrebates and Regini tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 BC - 45 BC |
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| Value | Silver 1/2 Unit |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central sunflower or solar motif rendered in stylised Celtic fashion, with radiating petals or rays emanating from a central raised pellet, filling the entire field. The design is characteristic of the abstract geometric artistic tradition of the Belgae, with no legend or inscription. The irregular flan and hand-hammered strike lend the motif an organic, asymmetric quality typical of Late Iron Age British coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Curvilinear spiral arms radiate from a central pellet set within a pellet ring, surrounded by additional pellet-in-ring motifs distributed across the field in a dynamic, swirling Celtic composition. The abstract design is executed in the characteristic Late Iron Age Belgic style, with no legend or inscription present. The irregular hammered flan exhibits typical surface porosity and patination consistent with ancient silver coinage of this period. |
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| Additional information |
The Atrebates occupied a territory straddling what is now the Hampshire-Sussex border, and their coinage tradition reflects direct Continental influence — the tribe had migrated from the Belgic regions of Gaul sometime in the late second century BC. This particular fractional type circulated during the period of Julius Caesar's British expeditions, when cross-channel political pressure was reshaping tribal allegiances across southern Britain. Whether these small silvers served primarily as ceremonial exchange or genuine market currency remains an open question among specialists.
The "Danebury" attribution ties this type geographically to the major Iron Age hillfort in Hampshire, which appears to have functioned as a regional economic hub well into this period.