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Stater with intertwined lines
| Issuer | Caleti (Gallia Belgica) |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 115 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized and deeply abstracted head of Apollo facing right, derived from the Macedonian prototype but reduced to a series of bold, sweeping striations and curvilinear relief elements across the field. The facial features — including a schematic nose and chin — survive as isolated plastic masses amid the surrounding abstract patterning. Pellets and incised lines punctuate the field, characteristic of the Celtic reinterpretation of classical imagery. A prominent diagonal line, likely a vestige of the diadem or laurel wreath, bisects the upper field, lending the composition its distinctive intertwined character. |
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| Mintage | ND (200 BC - 115 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Caleti occupied the coastal territory around the mouth of the Seine — roughly modern Normandy — and their coinage derives ultimately from the gold staters of Philip II of Macedon, which circulated widely through trade and mercenary payment networks before Celtic craftsmen began abstracting the designs beyond recognition. By the time pieces like this were struck, the original imagery had dissolved entirely into geometric convention, each generation of dies drifting further from the Macedonian prototype.
The tribe is mentioned by Caesar in the Gallic Wars as having sent forces to relieve Vercingetorix, placing their political reach into firm historical record even as their coinage predates Roman contact by generations.