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Tetradrachm Herakleskopf Type
| Issuer | Uncertain Eastern European Celts |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 1 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 8.95 g |
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| Obverse description | Celticized head of Herakles facing right, derived from the Macedonian prototype of Alexander III tetradrachms, rendered in the characteristic La Tène abstract style. The hair is depicted as a series of stylized raised arches and pellets atop the cranium, while the lion-skin headdress is heavily abstracted into curvilinear and S-shaped decorative elements at the right side of the head. The facial features are boldly rendered, with a prominent brow, schematic nose, and a distinct mouth, reflecting the progressive Celtic stylization of the Hellenistic original. The flan is irregular with characteristic Celtic hammered fabric, showing slight surface porosity consistent with ancient silver alloy. |
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| Reverse description | Highly abstracted Celtic interpretation of a horse prancing left, derived ultimately from the Zeus/eagle reverse of Alexander III tetradrachms, here reduced to a schematic, chunky body with vestigial limbs indicated by short linear projections. Above the horse, curvilinear and pellet ornaments occupy the upper field, replacing the original Macedonian eagle motif. To the right, a rectangular or torch-like symbol is visible in the field, a typical Celtic auxiliary control mark. Below the horse, a linear element with flanking pellets serves as a ground line, replacing the original Greek exergual inscription. The entire design reflects the advanced stage of Celtic artistic transformation, with Hellenistic iconography thoroughly reinterpreted into abstract La Tène decorative vocabulary. |
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| Additional information |
The Herakleskopf type belongs to a broad family of Celtic silver coinage derived from Macedonian prototypes — specifically the tetradrachms of Philip II and Alexander III — that spread through the Danube basin and into the eastern Celtic tribal zones over several centuries of gradual stylistic dissolution. By the time issues like this one were struck, the Macedonian source imagery had been abstracted through generations of die-copying by craftsmen working outside any Greek numismatic tradition, producing results that are ethnographically distinct even when the weight standard remained roughly observed.
Attribution to a specific tribe remains unresolved. The Kostial and Göbl references place this squarely within the heterogeneous "eastern group," a catch-all for issues not yet tied to a named political authority.