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Silver Unit - Cunobelin Cunobelinus Two Serpents
| Issuer | Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 10-20 |
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| Currency | Stater |
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| Obverse description | Obverse depicts two intertwined serpents rendered in a distinctive Celtic curvilinear style, their sinuous bodies forming an intricate spiral motif at the centre of the flan. The design is executed in low relief with pellet detailing along the serpents' bodies, characteristic of late Iron Age British coinage. The field surrounding the central device features additional decorative Celtic ornamental elements. The overall composition fills the irregular flan in a dynamic, abstract arrangement typical of the Catuvellaunian artistic tradition. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (10-20) |
| Additional information |
Cunobelinus — the historical figure behind Shakespeare's Cymbeline — ruled from Camulodunum (modern Colchester) and presided over the most powerful tribal confederacy in pre-conquest Britain. His coinage is unusually prolific by Iron Age British standards, reflecting genuine economic sophistication and a mint output that impressed even Roman observers. This silver unit belongs to a series struck in the decade or two before Claudius's invasion of 43 AD, when Cunobelinus's sons Caratacus and Togodumnus were already maneuvering politically in ways that would make Roman intervention inevitable.
The two-serpent type is among the rarer denominations within his silver issues, catalogued across five major references without resolving questions about precise emission sequence.