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Silver Unit Harlow Horned God
| Issuer | Catuvellauni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 40 BC - 30 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central figure of a stylised horned deity — traditionally identified as the Horned God Cernunnos or a cognate divinity associated with the Harlow temple cult site — depicted frontally in a schematic, abstracted manner. Two confronted animals, interpreted as boars or horned beasts, flank the central figure, their bodies rendered with pellet-and-ring motifs and curvilinear Celtic detailing. Large concentric ring-and-pellet symbols occupy the upper field to either side, possibly representing celestial or solar emblems. The lower field contains further abstract zoomorphic and geometric elements consistent with late Iron Age British coinage. No inscription or legend appears; the design is entirely pictorial and executed in the bold, energetic relief typical of Catuvellauni silver units. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Catuvellauni controlled much of what is now Hertfordshire and Essex during this period, and their coinage reflects a tribe consolidating regional dominance in the decades before Roman contact hardened into Roman occupation. The Harlow Horned God type takes its name from the major pre-Roman religious site at Harlow, Essex, where votive deposits suggest the deity depicted held particular local significance — though the precise identification of the god remains debated among specialists.
Struck at under 1.2 grams, these units were part of a fractional silver tradition that grew increasingly debased as the first century BC progressed. The ABC 2493 reference places this type within a tightly sequenced die study.