Catalog
Stater bust facing left
| Issuer | Uncertain Gallia Belgica tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 125 BC - 100 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized Celticized head of Apollo facing left, rendered in the distinctive La Tène artistic tradition. The hair is elaborately depicted as a series of raised pellets, comma-shaped curls, and flowing strands arranged in a structured yet highly abstracted pattern. Facial features are schematically rendered, with a pronounced eye, defined brow, and minimal facial relief characteristic of Belgic Celtic coinage. The overall design reflects the progressive Celticization of the original Macedonian gold stater prototype, retaining the human effigy but transforming it into a boldly abstract composition. No legend or inscription appears in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Celticized horse leaping or galloping left, its body rendered with dynamic, abstracted La Tène ornamental detail including pellets and curved lines defining the musculature and mane. Above the horse, a disjointed stylized charioteer figure is depicted, reduced to geometric and curvilinear elements consistent with advanced Celtic abstraction of the Macedonian stater prototype. Below the horse, a distinctive flower or rosette symbol appears in the field. The composition fills the flan with energetic, flowing motifs; no legend or inscription is present. |
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| Additional information |
The gold staters of uncertain Gallia Belgica origin from this period descend from Macedonian prototypes — ultimately from the staters of Philip II — passed westward through trade and mercenary payment across several generations until the original imagery had dissolved almost beyond recognition. Attributing these pieces to a specific tribe remains genuinely unsettled; the reference spread across Spassov, Van Arsdell, and Delestrée-Tache reflects ongoing scholarly disagreement rather than false modesty.
Gold of this fineness in pre-conquest Belgica functioned primarily as elite exchange and warrior payment, not everyday commerce.