Iceni Ecen c. AD 10-43 Ecen Corn Ear Silver Unit
£295.00
Iceni Ecen c. AD 10-43 Ecen Corn Ear Silver Unit
ABC 1657, 13mm, 1.25g
Obverse
Double back-to-back linear crescents between two parallel lines on vertical wreath. Two pellets between crescents. Lines and rows of pellets extend perpendicularly from the two parallel lines.
Reverse
Horse right, large oval head, pellet for eye, corn ear mane. S below head. Pellet in ring of pellets (daisy) above. Two pellets under tail. Sloping line of three pellets and ECEN inscription below.
Comments
Evans: XV.1 (1864, p. 380, pl. XV).
Evans: XV.2 (1864, p. 381, pl. XV).
Allen Type: British VIa.
Van Arsdell Classification: Icenian H, Silver Coins Inscribed ECEN and Icenian K, Coins Inscribed ECEN.
VA 730 – 01 (ECEN, Icenian H): ECEN monogram. This is COI 86a.
Talbot Ecen. The end of the denominational period saw the introduction of inscriptions. Anted and Ecen were produced in parallel (Anted starting first), using the same obverse die (staters of ECEN and ANTEDI (ABC 1639) are die linked), and followed Boar Horse C. They were struck at Mint A, which was responsible for most gold and used the most dies, characterised by a horse with an open head. The ECEN, EDN and ED variants (and ECE, ECEV and symbols for half units) are die linked with engraving becoming cruder. Finds are widely-dispersed but concentrated south of Snettisham.
Talbot Chronology: Gallo-Belgic E/Ingoldisthorpe – Early Local Period I (55BC-35BC) – Early Local Period II (35BC-15BC) – Denominational Period I (15BC-5: Snettisham – Plouviez – Irstead – Early Boar Horse) – Denominational Period II (5-25: Boar Horse B – Boar Horse C) – Denominational Period III (25-45).
Provenance
This coin is from The London Collection of Ancient British Coins. For more information click here: The London Collection – Silbury Coins : Silbury Coins.
M Trenerry FPL Dec 1993, no C49 VA754
This coin comes with a previous label.
ECE/ECEN
The inscribed coins bearing the name ‘ECE’ or ‘ECEN’ are something of an enigma. While in some cases the name is abbreviated to ‘EC’, ‘ED’ or ‘EDN’, these are not considered to be different issuers. Although it has been suggested that ‘ECEN’ represents the name of the Iceni themselves, this is considered unlikely, as tribal names appear on no other coins of Iron Age Britain. Additionally, the same coin type bears other inscriptions which are clearly personal names.
The silver coins of ‘ECEN’ are some of the most common in the entire Icenian silver series, occurring both in good metal and, more rarely, plated copper alloy. These display a wreath and opposed crescents on their obverses and a prancing horse on the reverse, classified by numismatist John Talbot as the ‘pattern-horse’ series. Die studies demonstrate its intense levels of production, set against iconography that is fairly conservative in outlook. Recovered by detectorists in large numbers, these coins are prevalent both as single finds and in hoards. For example, no fewer than four ‘ECEN’ units were found in a mixed hoard of Late Iron Age and early Roman coins from Old Buckenham, Norfolk, which was probably deposited by the AD 40s or slightly earlier.
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