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CatuvellauniTribe
EpaticcusSilverstater
卡圖維拉尼部落
埃帕提庫斯銀斯塔特
Item number: A379
Year: AD 20-40
Material: Silver
Size: 12.0 x 11.6 x 1.3 mm
Weight: 1.3 g
Provenance: Noonans 2022
This is a silver stater coin issued between AD 20 and AD 40 by the Celtic tribe “Catuvellauni” during the Iron Age, before the full Roman conquest of England. The coin was minted under the authority of Chief Epaticcus, who ruled over the southeastern region of England.
The obverse of the stater features a profile portrait of Hercules wearing a lion skin, with the name of the chieftain “Epaticcus” (EPATI) inscribed to the right. The reverse shows an eagle with outstretched wings standing on a serpent, enclosed within a beaded circle. This imagery reflects the influence of Greco-Roman deities on the Celtic culture of England during that time. Additionally, distinctive Celtic bullseye motifs can be observed around the edges on both sides of the coin, highlighting local artistic elements.
Between 55 BC and 54 BC, Julius Caesar led Roman legions on two expeditions into southern England. Although Caesar did not annex England into the Roman Empire, these incursions initiated a period of interaction between the Celtic tribes of southern England and Rome. It was not until AD 43 that Emperor Claudius commissioned Aulus Plautius to lead an invasion that successfully subdued the Catuvellauni and other Celtic tribes in southern England. This campaign resulted in the establishment of a Roman province and the consolidation of Roman rule in the region.
Creighton, J. (2000). Conclusion and epilogue: from Britain to Britannia. In Coins and Power in Late Iron Age Britain (pp. 216–221). Cambridge University Press.