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Silver Unit - Belgae Mossop Helmet
| Issuer | Atrebates and Regini tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 BC - 45 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | A stylised horse advancing to the left, distinguished by three elongated tails rendered as sweeping curved lines — a diagnostic feature of this Mossop Helmet type. Beneath the horse, a boar is depicted in profile, executed in the typical schematic Celtic manner with a prominent spine. Above the horse, a spiral motif represents a solar disc or sun symbol. The field is populated with annulets and pellets arranged in the characteristically abstract composition of Atrebatic coinage, with no inscription present. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Atrebates arrived in southern Britain as refugees of a sort — fleeing Caesar's campaigns in Gaul during the 50s BC, they brought with them a Gaulish coin tradition that rapidly adapted to British materials and taste. The "Mossop Helmet" type takes its name from the collector H.L. Mossop, whose 1983 study of Celtic silver units remains a foundational reference for the series.
These were struck at a moment when Caesar's two expeditions to Britain (55 and 54 BC) had fundamentally disrupted tribal politics across the southeast. The Atrebates under Commios shifted from Caesarian ally to opponent and back again within a decade.