Iron Age Coins of British Tribes

The late Iron Age coins are rarely found one at a time.  They are often found in hoards.  Apparently few used them.  Perhaps they belonged to kings, or maybe rich merchants.  They could have been used in trade, especially with the people of the continent.  In fact, some seem to have originated on the continent with the Belgic people.  And, there is a strong likelihood that some of the Belgic migrated across the English Channel, and set up settlements in Britain.  Perhaps this is how the idea of coinage come to Britain.

Two sources indicate many of the coins had no monetary use at all.  Because of where they were buried they are thought to have been votive offerings to the gods of Britain. 

While some of the coins may have arrived by the Belgic, or others involved with trade with Gaul, some of the coins were minted right in Britain.  What evidence is there of this?  There are gold and silver coins with the images of tribal kings, and their inscriptions.   

The use of effigies of kings was a new concept.  I learned from a friend, a historian who collects ancient coins, that Julius Caesar was the first to use his own image on Roman coins.   Before Julius Caesar the Roman coins showed a Roman god.  The departure caused a problem, the people were riled for they thought the gods would no longer favor Rome.  How did Julius Caesar solve his dilemma?  He proclaimed himself a god, as did his followers who ruled Rome.

Coins can give us a look at the rulers, and possibly sequence them in a line in history, albeit for but a brief time period.  Also, coins can record, albeit in a slanted manner, significant historical events.  Coins can act as miniature history books, each type giving a snippet of the entire story.  Yes, they will favor the ruler of the area for which they were minted, but they are a great starting point to understand events of the past.

Unfortunately, coins were not used throughout ancient Britain, at least as far as we know.  Tribal coins were unknown until a few centuries ago.  Have we found all kinds of tribal coins? 

Late Iron Age coins are often called Celtic coins, but there is a discussion over what the term means.  That discussion is not within the scope of this article.

There is much more to the history of the tribes of the late Iron Age in Britain, but my interest is in the coins.   

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