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Potin with hippocampus, head with balled hair
| Issuer | Aedui |
|---|---|
| Year | 60 BC - 50 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized male head facing left, rendered in the Celtic La Tène artistic tradition. The facial features are schematically depicted, with a prominent curvilinear eye and a simplified nose and mouth indicated by shallow relief elements. The hair is represented by two parallel strings of pellets or beads arching over the crown, a distinctive decorative convention of Aeduan coinage. The overall design is boldly abstracted, reflecting the Gallic celticization of Hellenistic prototypes. No legend or inscription appears in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (60 BC - 50 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Aedui occupied a strategically pivotal position in central Gaul — nominally allied with Rome yet deeply entangled in the intertribal conflicts that gave Caesar his pretext for intervention after 58 BC. This potin falls squarely within the decade Caesar spent dismantling Gaulish political independence, and circulation likely ended abruptly rather than through ordinary attrition.
Potin — a cast lead-tin-copper alloy — was the Aedui's practical answer to a shortage of precious metal for small-denomination exchange. Cast rather than struck, these pieces frequently show seam lines from the clay molds.