Cantiaci Eppillus c.AD 1-15 Margate Gold Quarter Stater *Extremely Rare*

Cantiaci Eppillus c.AD 1-15 Gold Quarter Stater

Eppillus Margate

COM. F  in beaded circle/ Horse right, EPPI above, flower motif below

Extremely Rare, 11 known.

Ex Geoff Cottam collection, originally found in Kent.

ABC393; 16mm, 1.38g

Evans: III.12 (1864, p. 192, pl. III).

Van Arsdell Classification: Atrebatic H, Eppillus Kentish Types. Eppillus was king of the Atrebates and for a time had control of the Cantii.

Sills: Coinage of Kent, The Southern Region Dynasty in Kent; Eppillus; Quarter Staters: Class 1 – Margate. COM.F is earlier than COM F with pellet below. The right-facing horse comes from Tasciovanos’s second coinage (ABC 2595). The flower cross is as on Eppillus’s Wreath Rider (ABC 384).
Sills DK 114 (Class 1a, ‘Margate Beaded’, 3 obverse, 6 reverse dies): With pellet border.

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Eppillus AD 1-15

The second Atrebatic ruler to proclaim ‘COM F’ on his coins, Eppillus’ issues can be divided into two broad categories – those produced at the tribal civitas of Calleva (the imaginatively named ‘Calleva types’), and those seemingly struck in Kent (the equally imaginative ‘Kentish types’). On the basis of this, it is highly probable that Eppillus held some kind of influence either over or in Kent – although whether this was economic, territorial or military in nature is uncertain. Coin evidence does a lot of the heavy lifting in informing about his rule, as he is otherwise completely unknown to the historical record. His status as a king, or at least his desire to see himself portrayed as one, is revealed by one of his silver unit types – where the inscription ‘REX CALLE’ prominently appears (ABC 1160/BMC 1016–60). Robert van Arsdell theorised that Eppillus’ disappearance from the record might have arisen as a consequence of Cunobelin’s rise to power, suggesting that he was killed when the Trinovantes and Catavellaunii directed their territorial ambitions southwards into Kent.