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Silver 1/2 Unit Snakes and Lyres
| Issuer | Catuvellauni tribe (Celtic Britain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 40 BC - 30 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Divided field featuring an abstract lyre-like design rendered in characteristic Late Iron Age Celtic style, with two prominent vertical rows of pellets bisecting the die area centrally. The quarters of the field are occupied by sinuous serpentine or snake-like forms, their bodies rendered in boldly modelled relief with curvilinear terminals. Crescentic and wave-like ornamental motifs fill the remaining field areas, typical of the Catuvellauni artistic tradition. The flan is irregular and slightly clipped, with a plain, unraised border. No legend or inscription is present, consistent with pre-Tasciovanus uninscribed Catuvellauni coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylised horse depicted in right-facing profile, rendered in the abstracted La Tène tradition characteristic of Catuvellauni coinage. The animal is shown with an arched neck, compact body, and elongated limbs, with pellet-and-ring ornaments dispersed about the field as decorative filler elements. A large pellet-in-annulet motif appears prominently below the horse, while additional isolated pellets and a crescentic form are visible in the surrounding field. The entire design is executed in high relief on an irregular, roughly circular flan with a plain edge. No inscription or legend is present. |
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| Additional information |
The Catuvellauni were among the most politically dominant tribes in pre-Roman Britain, controlling territory across modern Hertfordshire and beyond, and their coinage reflects active engagement with Continental monetary practices rather than isolated invention. Fractional silver issues like this one circulated alongside gold staters in what was likely a functioning multi-denomination economy — unusual sophistication for an Iron Age British tribe.
At roughly half a gram, these pieces were genuinely transactional, not ceremonial.