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Silver Unit - Belgae Danebury Cross and Crescents
| Issuer | Atrebates and Regini tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 BC - 45 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Abstract geometric design composed of wavy crossed wreaths forming a cross pattern, with crescents positioned in each of the four angles. Pellets are distributed throughout the design, and a prominent pellet-in-ring motif occupies the centre of the composition. The overall style is characteristic of Late Iron Age Celtic abstract art, emphasising curvilinear forms over figurative representation. The flan is irregular and the strike variable, typical of hand-struck Celtic coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylised horse rendered in profile facing left, executed in the abstracted Celtic artistic tradition. A radiate sun motif, resembling a dahlia or starburst, is depicted above the horse in the upper field. A cogwheel or wheel-like moon symbol appears below the horse's body, and a single pellet is placed beneath the tail. The design elements are characteristic of the Danebury Cross and Crescents type attributed to the Atrebates and Regini, reflecting the highly conventionalised celestial imagery common to Southern British Iron Age coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The Danebury Cross and Crescents type takes its name from Danebury hillfort in Hampshire, where significant concentrations of Atrebatic coinage have been recovered — the site appears to have functioned as a redistribution center rather than a mint. Production of this type falls squarely within the period of Caesar's Gallic campaigns and his two expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC, events that disrupted cross-Channel trade networks the Atrebates depended on heavily. Commios, the Atrebatic king installed by Caesar as a client ruler, eventually broke with Rome and fled to Britain around 50 BC, bringing continental political tensions directly into the tribal currency system.