Psych! Of course I'm not gonna name drop two of the NBA's original 12 gods of mount Olympus (OK, McHale is more of a provincial minor deity) and then not remind you of glory days past. On to the coins. First coins first. As you and all my followers around the world know I've a thriving collection of the Gallic tribes coins. I've wanted one of these Janiforms of theirs for a while. Not only are they very rare. The Janiform heads are artistically strange. On many of them, my example included, you have to turn the coin 180 degrees to see the other face. Kinda trippy: Central Gaul. Lingones (1st century BC). Potin. Obv: Janiform head. Rev: Boar standing left. D&T 3262. Condition: Very fine. Weight: 3.3 g. Diameter: 17 mm. Chocolate Patina. Found in modern Normandy "History: The territory of Lingons was very vast, straddling the current department of Haute-Marne and part of the Côte d'Or, Yonne and Aube. They were surrounded by the Sequanes, the Mandubians, the Leuques, the Rèmes, the Suessions, the Senons and the Aedui. It was one of the largest civitas in Gaul. Langres, which has retained their name, seems to have been one of their oppida. Allies of the Romans, they did not participate in the War. The Helvetii, during their retreat after the defeat of Bibracte, crossed the Lingon territory. And in 52 BC, they did not send emissaries, did not join in the revolt, and did not participate in the relief army sent to Vercingetorix. On the other hand, in 51 BC, they provided a contingent of cavalry to the Romans in order to fight the Bellovaci and the Belgians. They therefore remained faithful to the Roman alliance. They are cited several times in Caesar's Commentaries. Caesar (BG. I, 26, 40; IV, 10; VI, 44; VII, 9, 63, 66; VIII, 11). Kruta: 21,111, 184, 187, 201, 251." A few friends: (This dude knew how to take a hit!) HIGH AND MIDDLE SEINE (2nd - 1st centuries BC) Gossip with bull and lily, class Ia N ° v15_0996, 60-40 AC. Bronze, 17mm, 2.7g. Reference in reference books: LT.9155 - BN.9155-9156 - PK.33 - Z.- - Sch / L.588. Obv: Helmet head on the left, fleuron in front of the mouth. Rev: Horned bull on the right (a globule in the center of the body), placed on a line of pelletized earth in its center; above the back, fleur-de-lis ornament. Celtic GAUL, Northeast. Leuci. Circa 100-50 BC. Potin Unit (16.5mm, 4.1 g, 3h). Stylized head left / Stylized boar left; two semicircles below. Depeyrot, NC VII, 139; D&T 225. Dark green-brown surfaces. VF. GAUL, Senones. Circa 100-50 BC. Unit (Bronze, 15.3mm, 2.3 g 4). Celtic male head to right. Rev. YLLYCCI Abstract bird left, two pellets within wings; to right, pentagram and cross with pellet; below, two pellet-in-annulets. D&T 2635. Depeyrot, NC V 130. VF "The Sénons, whose name means the wise or the elders, controlled a vast territory that stretched between the south of Champagne and the north of Burgundy. Their main oppidum was Agedincum (Sens) which still retains the name of the ancient civitas today. They owned several other oppida like Auxerre, Tonnerre or Avallon. Divona seems to have been the main sanctuary of the Senons. Caesar had wintered six of his legions in 53 BC at Agedincum. Labienus, lieutenant and legate of Caesar, came to settle in the region of Sens between Gergovia and Alesia in order to control the roads and protect Caesar's armies from an attack by the Belgians or the Germans. Caesar (BG. II, 2; V, 54, 56; VI, 2, 3, 44; VII, 4, 10, 11, 34, 56-59, 62, 75). Ptolemy (G. II, 8, 9)." And if you are one of these sorry suckers for whose collecting sensibilities won't allow for bronzes, led alone bronzes forged and designed by barbarians (frankly a ridiculous position when collecting and enjoying ancient artistry on coins. But good for you Jack) then here is an EL that was too hard to pass up. A type I just read referred to as very difficult to pin down from where the tribe was from... except this was recently pulled out of the ground in Normandy. Also with an enigmatic obverse: (How many coins with Hulk's smashing fist you got?) Remi, Electrum quarter stater "aux segments de circles"- 1,39 gram 10mm, minted 80-50BC obv: horse left rev: four segments of circles "Gallia Belgica (or Belgica Prima) was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. The Remi were a Belgic tribe of north-eastern Gaul in the 1st century BC. They occupied the northern Champagne plain, between the rivers Mosa (Meuse) and Matrona (Marne), and along the river valleys of the Aisne and its tributaries the Aire and the Vesle. Their tribal capital was at Durocortum (Reims, France) and they were renowned for their horses and cavalry. The Remi, under Iccius and Andecombogius, allied themselves with Julius Caesar when he led the conquest of Gaul. The Remi tribe remained loyal to him throughout the entire Gallic Wars, the most pro-Roman of all the peoples of Gaul." Any similar or different Celtic coins would be cool to see, corrections are appreciated and whatever thoughts you have about a people that never have a thought about you!
@Ryro......Very nice group!...I do like these Celtic coins and your Senones I find really appealing...Don't know about you but I find this style of portrait quite Aztec'sh. Here's mine... Britannia, Trinovantes & Catuvellauni. Cunobelin. Circa 9-41 AD. AE Unit (2.437 g, 14mm). Obv: Winged head left, CVNO in front, BELIN behind. Rev: Metal worker, presumably the smith god known as Sucellus in parts of Gaul, sitting on a solid seat with a detached upright back, holding an L-shaped hammer in his right hand, left hand holding a metal bowl, there is always a distinct bun of hair behind the smith's head, TASCIO (Tascionus his father) behind, beaded border. Van Arsdell 2097; ABC 2969; SCBC 342. Hobbs 1972-83;..VF.
I think not, but an interesting observation....I actually didn't know what a Carnyx was so enjoyed reading up on it. Would have been a scary sound accompanied with an army of screaming Celts ready for a fight!....I feel these 3 examples show that it is indeed an L hammer being used to form a large bowl?
Ryro, You've presented a group of bizarre & fascinating Celtic coins ! I love Celtic coins because they tease our imaginations & take us to places that other coins don't . The coin pictured below is one of my favorites & definitely fits the category of the bizarre . It is a seldom seen rarity. Veneti Tribe, Northwest Gaul, circa 100-50 BC. AR Stater: 19.5 mm, 7.19 gm, 8 h. Obverse: head of the Celtic deity Ogmios, the psychopomp (one who leads the souls of the dead to their resting place). Reverse: Chariot driven by a man holding a stalk with a rosette on the top, powered by a man headed horse. Below the horse is a wild boar. Gruel & Morin 469. The Veneti may have been a group of Belgae people who divided into two groups, one who settled in the Baltic region & the other who settled in the Morbihan district of modern Brittany. For a time they controlled all the trade to Britain. They fought the forces of Julius Caesar for this control. In the summer of 56 BC, Caesar met the forces of 200 Veneti ships in Quiberon Bay & won a glorious victory. After this victory Caesar executed all the tribal leaders & enslaved the survivors.
Great coin from a Tribe I don't recall hearing of @Spaniard Thanks for adding one more to my list of gotta haves The first thing I thought of the reverse being was a coin being struck. Though, funny enough I can see the likeness to a carnyx (even though we know it's not): Thanks so much for sharing and couldn't agree more about how fun they are for their strangeness I've had bosses that were psychopompusasses but never a psychopomp. Spooky Very cool coin all around and made me think of my first CNG purchase from not too long ago: GAUL, Northwest. Coriosolites. Circa 100-50 BC. BI Stater (19mm, 6.28 g, 6h). Celticized head right, hair in large spiral curls, S-like ear / Devolved charioteer-in-biga right; quadrilateral banner hanging from lash to right, [boar below]. Depeyrot, NC VIII, 186; D&T 2340. Brown surfaces, hard green encrustation. VF. Purchased from CNG March 2021
@Ryro......Cool looking coin!...Again I love the abstract portrait, You've got me searching around now!....
Ryro, Attached below is a Denarius Serratus of a similar type that you posted with less wear. The Gallic chief in the biga is Bituitus, king of the Averni, a powerful opponent of Republican Rome. Bituitus was defeated by the forces of Fabius Maximus, in 121 BC, ending the domination of the Averni in Mediterranean Gaul. It was estimated that 120,000 Celtic warriors perished in that battle ! Bituitus was captured & paraded in his silver armor in a victory celebration in Rome, before being sent into exile at Alba Fucens. The victory resulted in the Roman establishment of Gallia Nabonensis.
