Featured Snakebit: Celtic quinarius, "Little Dancing Man"

Vinnford Sansbury · Aug 30, 2020

Alex22 said: ↑

This dancing mannikin also reminds me of bees on some of the coin obverses. So, here is another theory: what if that coin was Celts' way to have a good laugh at this (or lookalikes, an example below is from http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5571655)?

View attachment 1167373
Click to expand...

It is quite possible they drew some inspiration from other coins, much like the numerous examples of Thasos that was Celticized. Horse goddesses were a common archetype as well so maybe it was one of them before human forms became popular. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse...he horse goddess in,(deity), a Celtic goddess

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Al Kowsky · Aug 30, 2020

TIF said: ↑

This is my second ancient Celtic purchase. Admittedly, I know very little about Celtic coins. There are a half dozen on my hit list though. Since I first saw this type posted by @Eduard on 10/26/13 ("I like Roman coins, but I think like these even better: Celtic") this Celtic was at the top of the list. "Little Dancing Man" quinarii don't come up with great frequency and tend to be pricey. Recently there were two at auction which I hoped would stay within reach. This one did

View attachment 368905
CELTIC, Central Europe (Rhineland). "Dancing Mannikin" type
65 BCE - CE 1
AR Quinarius, 13 mm, 1.62 gm
Obv: dancing mannikin right, head turned left, holding snake in right hand, torque in left hand.
Rev: horse standing right, head turned left; around, zig zag border.
Ref: SLM 1118. Dembski 73, 396. (I'll have to take the seller's word on that for now. If any of you have a Celtic reference and find this inaccurate, please let me know.)

It's not the peak of numismatic artistry but it does have a very appealing quality: it makes me laugh. Seriously. What the heck is this scene about? A marionette dancing with a snake, which is biting his nose? Even the horse looks shocked. I'm not though. "He who dances with snake gets bit on nose", everyone knows that.

View attachment 368912
The base coin in this animated gif is the other coin I considered (from Nomos 9)

Online references for Celtic coins aren't as plentiful as for Greeks and Romans. I haven't found much about the type. fall into two types, an earlier scarcer type and a later one with "larger features". I don't know which mine is, probably the latter.

Here's the most comprehensive information I've found about the coin-- and it isn't much. Coin use in a dynamic frontier region. Late Iron Age coinages in the Lower Rhine area; from Journal of Archaeology in the Low Countries 1-1 (May 2009), Nico Roymans, Joris Aarts, and AUP:

Another long-running coin series are the quinarii of the Scheers 57 type, with a figure of a 'dancing man' on the obverse and a horse on the reverse. Schulze-Forster and Heinrichs have recently discussed the development of this group. It began and a trans-Rhine issue, with the oppidum on the Dünsberg in Hessen as the probable minting center. A more recent group consists of silver with a high copper content and is concentrated in the western Lower Rhine region, where it also appears to have been minted. Circulation was concentrated in the Cologne hinterland, and to a lesser extent in the Dutch river region. Partly on the basis of the dating of these coin issues, the cluster in the Cologne region may be associated with the Ubii. There is a plausible link to historical accounts of Ubian migration from the east to the west bank of the Rhine during Agrippa's first or second governship (38/39 or 19/18 BC). There are too few coins from the Dutch River region for the Batavi to have played any role in the more recent issues of the series. Schulze-Forster dates the quinarii of the younger group to after 30 BC. Their presence in Augustan army camps suggests that these coins continued to circulate until about 10 AD, although their production would have ceased somewhat earlier.

These "little dancing man" coins have been found in this approximate geographic distribution:

View attachment 368921

While there are many interesting questions to be answered about this Celtic coin, the most fascinating is the iconography. What is it about? Is it serious, perhaps a shaman charming a snake? Is it poking fun at a foe? So many Celtic coins look cartoonish. This type certainly does.

View attachment 368938

Please post your Celtic coins or any cartoonish coins
Click to expand...

TIF, Thanks for an informative & entertaining article ! Earlier this year I added my 1st Celtic coin from Britain pictured below. The coin made two appearances in Chris Rudd auctions & came with the sale tickets. The Celtic artists were masters of abstraction .

jamesicus · Aug 30, 2020

jamesicus said: ↑

……………

British Celtic silver coin, minted by the Corieltavi tribe
…………… This coin is contemporaneous with the Queen of the Brigantes, Cartimandua, and her association with the conquest of Britain by Claudius. It could possibly have been used by her tribe who did not mint their own coins but who were close allies with the Corieltavi tribe.

Background information: The Time Travellers (UK) Brigantes study group:
http://www.thetimetravellers.org.uk/brigantes-group.html

……………
Click to expand...

Additional Historical Association resources:

https://www.historyhit.com/why-has-history-overlooked-cartimandua/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/romanbritain_timeline_noflash.shtml

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Cartimandua-Cartismandua/

(Also available online as an Amazon Kindle read)

+VGO.DVCKS · Aug 30, 2020

TIF said: ↑

This is my second ancient Celtic purchase. Admittedly, I know very little about Celtic coins. There are a half dozen on my hit list though. Since I first saw this type posted by @Eduard on 10/26/13 ("I like Roman coins, but I think like these even better: Celtic") this Celtic was at the top of the list. "Little Dancing Man" quinarii don't come up with great frequency and tend to be pricey. Recently there were two at auction which I hoped would stay within reach. This one did

View attachment 368905
CELTIC, Central Europe (Rhineland). "Dancing Mannikin" type
65 BCE - CE 1
AR Quinarius, 13 mm, 1.62 gm
Obv: dancing mannikin right, head turned left, holding snake in right hand, torque in left hand.
Rev: horse standing right, head turned left; around, zig zag border.
Ref: SLM 1118. Dembski 73, 396. (I'll have to take the seller's word on that for now. If any of you have a Celtic reference and find this inaccurate, please let me know.)

It's not the peak of numismatic artistry but it does have a very appealing quality: it makes me laugh. Seriously. What the heck is this scene about? A marionette dancing with a snake, which is biting his nose? Even the horse looks shocked. I'm not though. "He who dances with snake gets bit on nose", everyone knows that.

View attachment 368912
The base coin in this animated gif is the other coin I considered (from Nomos 9)

Online references for Celtic coins aren't as plentiful as for Greeks and Romans. I haven't found much about the type. fall into two types, an earlier scarcer type and a later one with "larger features". I don't know which mine is, probably the latter.

Here's the most comprehensive information I've found about the coin-- and it isn't much. Coin use in a dynamic frontier region. Late Iron Age coinages in the Lower Rhine area; from Journal of Archaeology in the Low Countries 1-1 (May 2009), Nico Roymans, Joris Aarts, and AUP:

Another long-running coin series are the quinarii of the Scheers 57 type, with a figure of a 'dancing man' on the obverse and a horse on the reverse. Schulze-Forster and Heinrichs have recently discussed the development of this group. It began and a trans-Rhine issue, with the oppidum on the Dünsberg in Hessen as the probable minting center. A more recent group consists of silver with a high copper content and is concentrated in the western Lower Rhine region, where it also appears to have been minted. Circulation was concentrated in the Cologne hinterland, and to a lesser extent in the Dutch river region. Partly on the basis of the dating of these coin issues, the cluster in the Cologne region may be associated with the Ubii. There is a plausible link to historical accounts of Ubian migration from the east to the west bank of the Rhine during Agrippa's first or second governship (38/39 or 19/18 BC). There are too few coins from the Dutch River region for the Batavi to have played any role in the more recent issues of the series. Schulze-Forster dates the quinarii of the younger group to after 30 BC. Their presence in Augustan army camps suggests that these coins continued to circulate until about 10 AD, although their production would have ceased somewhat earlier.

These "little dancing man" coins have been found in this approximate geographic distribution:

View attachment 368921

While there are many interesting questions to be answered about this Celtic coin, the most fascinating is the iconography. What is it about? Is it serious, perhaps a shaman charming a snake? Is it poking fun at a foe? So many Celtic coins look cartoonish. This type certainly does.

View attachment 368938

Please post your Celtic coins or any cartoonish coins
Click to expand...

Thanks, TIF, for another exemplary convergence of scholarship with Serious Coin Coolness.
...Not to mention your forays into popular culture. ...Can't forget when three nieces had My Little Ponies. ...It was like, 'No! My Little Pony!'

TIF · Aug 30, 2020

Thanks for the resurrection of this thread! Definitely the favorite of my few Celtic coins.

+VGO.DVCKS said: ↑

...Not to mention your forays into popular culture. ...Can't forget when three nieces had My Little Ponies. ...It was like, 'No! My Little Pony!'
Click to expand...

This was a MLP reprise. Their initial appearance was from one of my favorite coins and probably the most fun I've had doing a writeup .

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-a-boy-and-his-stone.254886/

Alegandron · Aug 30, 2020

TIF said: ↑

Thanks for the resurrection of this thread! Definitely the favorite of my few Celtic coins.

This was a MLP reprise. Their initial appearance was from one of my favorite coins and probably the most fun I've had doing a writeup .

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-a-boy-and-his-stone.254886/
Click to expand...

LOL, that Boy and His Stone was just freakin' frEEky!!!

I just love your write-ups! Little humor goes a LOOooong way! Thank you!!!

jamesicus · Aug 30, 2020

TIF said: ↑

Thanks for the resurrection of this thread! Definitely the favorite of my few Celtic coins ……………
Click to expand...

I am glad it was resurrected too - one of my favorite posts.

Edessa · Aug 30, 2020

Here is another little pony...

Southern Gaul. Allobroges. Circa 80 BC. AR Drachm (2.18g). Obv: Laureate head left. Rev: Horse prancing left; “scepter” above. Ref: Van der Wielen Type II, Class 2; D&T 3117; Depeyrot, NC I, 72; CCCBM II 179–82.

ominus1 · Aug 30, 2020

...great thread resurrection! ... Celtic bronze tet imitating Phillip ll of Macedon

DonnaML · Aug 30, 2020

TIF said: ↑

Thanks for the resurrection of this thread! Definitely the favorite of my few Celtic coins.

This was a MLP reprise. Their initial appearance was from one of my favorite coins and probably the most fun I've had doing a writeup .

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-a-boy-and-his-stone.254886/
Click to expand...

I just read through that thread. Very entertaining! Although I find it rather sad that there seem to be quite a few people who were regular posters 6 years ago but aren't around anymore.

Alegandron · Aug 31, 2020

I was here, remembered this post well! It was my “lurking and learning” period for 2 years before I started posting.

CELTIC HORSEY

Kugelwange type

Celtic Imitation Philip II 2nd C BCE AR Drachm Kugelwange type- Danube Valley - Ex: Pecunum Auction

Sidney Osborne · Aug 31, 2020

This whole thing is very surreal...the coins are actual....some of the thinking though....you know, this is so much like Monty Python and the "silly walks"....they illustrate a long line of "craziness" in a good sense....makes us human.....

Log in or Sign up

Featured Snakebit: Celtic quinarius, "Little Dancing Man"

Vinnford Sansbury New Member

Guest User Guest

Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

jamesicus Well-Known Member

+VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

TIF Always learning.

Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

jamesicus Well-Known Member

Edessa Well-Known Member

ominus1 Well-Known Member

DonnaML Well-Known Member

Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

Sidney Osborne Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Featured Snakebit: Celtic quinarius, "Little Dancing Man"

Vinnford Sansbury New Member

Guest User Guest

Al Kowsky Well-Known Member

jamesicus Well-Known Member

+VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

TIF Always learning.

Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

jamesicus Well-Known Member

Edessa Well-Known Member

ominus1 Well-Known Member

DonnaML Well-Known Member

Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

Sidney Osborne Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches