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Silver Unit Hadham Heart Ear
| Issuer | Catuvellauni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 BC - 45 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Stylised human head facing right, rendered in the abstract Celtic artistic tradition. The hair is depicted as a series of corded or twisted strands arranged in relief around the crown. A distinctively large, heart-shaped ear projects prominently from the side of the head, serving as the type's defining characteristic. The facial profile features a long, sharply pointed nose. The overall design is executed in the schematic, non-naturalistic manner typical of late Iron Age British coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Catuvellauni occupied territory roughly corresponding to modern Hertfordshire and beyond, and their silver units from this period reflect a tribe under mounting pressure — Caesar's two expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC disrupted tribal power structures across the southeast, forcing renegotiated tribute arrangements and shifting alliances. The "Hadham" designation comes from the find concentration around Much Hadham in Hertfordshire, though these pieces circulated across a broader tribal range.
The "Heart Ear" subtype is distinguished by a specific motif variant used to differentiate die groupings within the ABC classification. At 1.2g these are appreciably lighter than earlier uninscribed British silver, reflecting a gradual debasement trend common across late Iron Age issues as tribal economies absorbed Roman commercial influence.