Obverse (head) of gold celtic stater bearing name of Cunobelin
Found between Gretton and Corby in the 1800s, this gold coin was made for the Celtic king Cunobelin over 2,000 years ago.
Cunobelin was a king of ancient Britain, issuing coins in eastern England in the late Iron Age, about 10 CE to 40 CE. He was the ruler of the Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes and was closely associated with pre-Roman urban centres at Colchester and St Albans, where he minted coins. His memory is preserved in myths and legends, including as the title character in Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline. In Northamptonshire, it is thought that the Catuvellauni tribe expanded from the south to the River Nene, which created a natural barrier to the Corieltauvi tribe in the north, whose capital was what is now Leicester.
Most Celtic tribes used five basic denominations in the late Iron Age, the gold stater and quarter stater, the silver unit and half unit, and the bronze unit. A wealthy king, Cunobeline struck more than a million gold staters. The scale of production of this coinage would have required full time professional moneyers.
Following the tradition of his father, Cunobelin imported large quantities of luxury goods from Europe and maintained close ties to Roman culture, reflected in Roman features on many of his coins. The horse is a common symbol used on Celtic coins, symbolising both social importance and religious significance.
Number 20 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.
© NMAG
© NMAG
©
The Trustees of the British Museum
©
The Trustees of the British Museum
©
Victoria and Albert Museum
©
NMAG