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Silver 1/2 Unit Bird Back Rider
| Issuer | Iceni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 15 BC - 20 AD |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Silver 1/2 Unit |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Stylised abstract wreath motif rendered as a plain linear band accented with a single leaf form, traversed by a horizontal plain line dividing the field. To the left, a small zoomorphic figure is depicted above a three-armed spiral; to the right, a second small animal is positioned above a schematic cloak or garment motif. The design is characteristic of late Iron Age Celtic die-cutting, emphasising abstract patterning over naturalistic representation. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylised annulate horse stands in profile to the right, its body formed with characteristic Celtic schematic conventions, resting above a corded exergual line. A bird is prominently depicted upon the horse's back, the detail from which this type derives its name. The composition reflects the abstract naturalism typical of Icenian coinage of the late pre-Roman Iron Age, with the horse rendered in a linear, diagrammatic style. |
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| Additional information |
The Iceni occupied what is now Norfolk and parts of Suffolk, and their coinage developed largely in isolation from the more Romanized tribes to the south. These fractional silver pieces — struck in the decades bracketing the turn of the millennium — predate the catastrophic revolt of Boudica in 60–61 AD by at least a generation, circulating through a tribal economy that Rome had not yet formally absorbed. ABC 1600 falls within a series distinguished by the bird-and-rider pairing on the reverse die family, a grouping that numismatists have used to sequence Icenian issues chronologically.