Eastern North Thames 'Two Boars'

[John Conduitt]

The Eastern North Thames region is an enigmatic group of coins created by Chris Rudd (in ABC) to account for those issues from the Essex area that don’t sit well with the Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes. (The Catuvellauni and Trinovantes seem to have combined under one ruler by the time they struck coins, and those coins appear to be linked). All 33 Eastern North Thames coins identified by Rudd are early uninscribed types and most are extremely rare. Most are not even in Van Arsdell. This is one such coin.

‘Two Boars’ Unit, 60-30BC

Eastern North Thames (Essex). Bronze, 13mm, 1.33g. Opposed boars, wheel between. Horse right, beaded mane curled up behind neck, large clumpy hooves (ABC 2315; VA -). Ex Geoff Cottam.

So who struck them? Rudd proposes they may have been struck by the Cantii (of Kent) or by minor tribes such as the Ancalites, Bibroci, Cenimagni, Cassi and Segontiaci (the tribes that surrendered to Caesar). Some may have been struck by refugees from the Gallic War. They may, of course, simply be issues of the Catuvellauni. Either way, there seem to have been two or three coin-issuing entities alongside the Catuvellauni.

[CPK]

Interesting!