Stater anepigraphic horse facing left, S and amphora

The Arverni occupied the volcanic uplands of what is now the Auvergne, and at their peak controlled a confederacy powerful enough to challenge Rome directly. This coinage predates or overlaps with the revolt of Vercingetorix, who was himself Arvernian — the son of Celtillus, a chieftain executed by his own people for allegedly seeking kingship. Whether coins of this type circulated as war chest currency during the 52 BC campaigns at Gergovia and Alesia remains an open question, but the concentration of findspots in the Massif Central is consistent with that reading.

The anepigraphic nature of the issue — no inscription — is characteristic of Arvernian gold throughout this period.