The Atrebates entered recorded history largely through Caesar's accounts of his British expeditions — Commios, the tribe's most prominent leader, initially served as Caesar's envoy before turning against Rome and fleeing to Britain around 50 BC. These small silver units circulated during precisely that turbulent transition, when tribal allegiances were shifting rapidly under Roman military pressure. The "Handlebars" designation refers to a distinctive die characteristic used by modern cataloguers to differentiate this type from related issues in the Atrebatic series.
The Atrebates entered recorded history largely through Caesar's accounts of his British expeditions — Commios, the tribe's most prominent leader, initially served as Caesar's envoy before turning against Rome and fleeing to Britain around 50 BC. These small silver units circulated during precisely that turbulent transition, when tribal allegiances were shifting rapidly under Roman military pressure. The "Handlebars" designation refers to a distinctive die characteristic used by modern cataloguers to differentiate this type from related issues in the Atrebatic series.