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Stater 'Rounded Wing'
| Issuer | Catuvellauni tribe |
|---|---|
| Year | 55 BC - 50 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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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylised derivative of a Macedonian wreath type, rendered in the abstract Celtic La Tène tradition. The field is divided by a prominent central vertical bar, flanked on either side by bold curvilinear motifs representing a degraded wreath with berry-like pellets and leaf forms. A sinuous, rounded wing motif occupies the upper right quadrant, while sweeping crescent and cloak-like striations fill the lower left, imparting a dynamic, almost swirling composition across the flan. No legend or inscription is present, consistent with the uninscribed issues of the Catuvellauni in this early period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylised horse prancing vigorously to the right, rendered in the distinctive disjointed Celtic manner with a beaded spine and sinuous body. A characteristic rounded wing motif appears prominently above the horse's back, one of the defining type-features of this issue. Below the horse, a pellet-centred annular sun symbol occupies the lower field, while additional abstract linear and pellet ornaments fill the surrounding space. The flan is irregular and slightly flan-cracked at the edges, typical of hammered British Iron Age gold coinage. No legend or inscription is present. |
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| Additional information |
The Catuvellauni occupied a substantial territory north of the Thames, and by the mid-first century BC their coinage was evolving rapidly under pressure from Caesar's two expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC. The political disruption those invasions caused — even without permanent Roman occupation — accelerated the adoption of more abstract, fragmented designs as the original Macedonian stater prototype dissolved through successive generations of copying.
The rounded wing treatment that distinguishes this variety from related Catuvellaunian issues is a product of that degeneration sequence, not a deliberate artistic choice.