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Silver Unit 'Icenian O' Norfolk God Type with Moustache
| Issuer | Iceni tribe |
|---|---|
| Year | 43-61 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Celticised male head facing right, rendered in the abstract La Tène artistic tradition, prominently displaying a flowing moustache. The facial features are stylised, with large almond-shaped eye, broad nose, and exaggerated linear hair rendered as a series of radiating strands or pellets framing the face. Trefoil leaf ornaments appear to the right of the head, a characteristic decorative motif of the Norfolk God series. The flan is irregular with a slightly raised border, typical of hammered Celtic coinage of the period. |
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| Reverse description | Celticised horse prancing to the right, rendered in the distinctive schematic style of Icenian coinage, with disjointed limbs and angular body typical of late British Iron Age numismatic art. A lozenge-shaped box or pellet-in-lozenge motif appears beneath the horse, serving as a ground line element and diagnostic feature of this type. Additional pellets and linear ornaments are scattered in the field around the horse. The overall composition reflects the degeneration of the original Macedonian prototype through successive Celtic stylisation. |
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| Additional information |
The Iceni occupied what is now Norfolk and Suffolk, and their coinage continued well into the early Roman occupation period — these units were still being struck and circulated when Prasutagus ruled as a client king under Claudius. The 'Norfolk God' types are understood to represent a local deity specific to Icenian religious practice, distinct from anything in the broader Celtic or Roman pantheon.
Production almost certainly ceased by 60–61 AD with the Boudican revolt, after which Roman authorities systematically dismantled Icenian tribal structures. Surviving examples typically show die wear consistent with extended circulation before that abrupt end.