Bronze Plate Brooch 1st Century BC

Unusual design, fine decoration

Found Ipswich, UK

45x34x12mm; 16.61g

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Bronze Dragonesque Brooch 1st Century BC

Blue & Yellow Enamel

Found Yorkshire, UK

45x19mm; 6.55g

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Cunobelinus Plastic

Corn ear without central stalk, CAM to left, CNV to right/Horse with dashes for mane rearing, branch above, CVN below

Rare

ABC2816, S204; 11mm, 1.33g

Cunobelinus, or’ hound of Belinus’ was the most powerful tribal king of his time not just in Britain but also in Atlantic Europe. By AD 41 he controlled more land, lives and wealth than any other leader west of the River Rhine. It has been suggested that just before he died Tasciovanos installed his son Cunobelinus as king of Camulodunon. It is more probable that Cunobelinus seized it from Dubnovellaunos of the Trinovantes. Either way by AD 41 Cunobelinus controlled most of south east England. His brother Epatticcus also ruled the Atrebates in Hampshire whilst his son, Amminus, ruled the Cantaci in Kent.
Cunobelinus was the last great Iron Age king in Europe and it would be 700 years before Offa of Mercia became the next independent king in Britain.
Whilst some of the coinage issued by Cunobelinus retains Celtic features there is also a strong, and probably increasing, Roman influence which is shown in the inscriptions on many of his coins.

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1st Century BC

Found near Lincoln, Lincs

51.07g, 50mm

A large piece of metal work, characterful in hand.

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Lindsey Scyphate

Stylised boar represented by lines and dashes / Large S shape surrounded by pellets

Rare

ABC1773, S395, 18x16mm, 1.47g

ex Graham Slater Collection.

The Corieltavi tribe occupied modern day Lincolnshire and parts of adjoining Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. With an extensive series of inscribed and uninscribed coins in both gold and silver this makes for a very interesting series to collect.
The Scyphate gold quarter staters are worthy of mention, very thin and deeply dished with no parallel in the rest of the Iron Age series, presumably a very localised issue but why?

Some of the later inscribed staters bear long and wonderful names, there is some suggestion that these may be the names of two individuals, perhaps joint kings or the introduction of moneyers displayed on coins. ‘Volisios Dumnovellaunos’ is my favourite, it puts our modern day names to shame, ‘Bob’ not quite having the same ring.

The post Corieltavi 50 BC – AD 50 Gold Quarter Stater Lindsey Scyphate *Very Rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

19 x 19 x 7mm, 12.97g

Gold of two different qualities wrapped around a copper alloy core to give the typical banded effect, a remarkable feat of ancient metalworking.

A large and pleasing example with clear stripes.

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Cunobelinus Wild

Corn ear without central stalk, CA to left, MV to right/Horse right with star above and branch above

Scarce

ABC2783, S283;  17mm 5.48g

To Shakespeare, he was Cymbeline. For a monk called Nennius writing in the early 9th century, he was Bellinus. In Medieval Welsh oral traditions, he is Beli Mawr or Cynfelin. For the modern historian, numismatist or student of Late Iron Age Britain, he is best known as Cunobelin. Whatever he is called, he represents a very real figure whose amorphous, semi-legendary status has shifted back and forth across the line dividing myth and reality over the course of two millennia.

From the moment of his naming, Cunobelin (‘hound of Belenus’ or ‘bright one’) was obviously expected to accomplish great deeds. His birth-date is unknown, but we are certain that he was the son of Tasciovanos – an early ruler of the Catuvellauni. Coin evidence is key in establishing this familial relationship, as many coins struck for Cunobelin are prominently inscribed ‘CVNOBELINI TASCIOVANI F[ILIVS]’ (Cunobelin, Son of Tasciovanus) (Fig.3). He is thought to have ruled between circa AD 8 and AD 41, the use of Latin text on his coins demonstrating growing Roman influence even though Britain was not yet a Roman province.

Tasciovanos himself belonged to a Late Iron Age tribal grouping called the Catavellaunii. This loose confederation of peoples lived in and around what are now the counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Their Oppidum was probably Verlamion, a heavily fortified site with impressive earthworks that survive to this day, sited some two kilometres away from the modern city of St Albans. The infamous instigator of resistance against Julius Caesar, Cassivellaunos, who himself was possibly also a relative of Tasciovanos, may have been one of their earlier rulers.

Like many of the other peoples that inhabited Britain in the Late Iron Age, Catavellaunian society was composed of craftsfolk, farmers and artisans – but also warriors. After all, their very name translates broadly from Brythonic (a group of Celtic languages) as ‘those skilful in war’. Under Tasciovanos’ leadership, it was evident that they continued to live up to this name – expanding their territory eastwards into that of a neighbouring tribal confederation called Trinovantes. Taking over most of what is today Suffolk and Essex, for a time the Catavellauni also appear to have conquered the regional centre of Camulodunon – probably displacing the Trinovantian king, Addedomaros, in the process.

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Comes with find area provenance

19.59g; 45mm

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Comes with find area provenance

5.28g; 37x18mm

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An excellent example

Comes with find area provenance

11.55g; 50mm

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