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The Last Celtic Coin of Britain
Boudicca's Revolt 61 AD
by Brian Holland
The Celtic peoples of Britain produced coins only
sporadically in the years before the Roman occupation. These often crude but highly
stylistic coins display strange images of disjointed horses or fantastic animals so
bizarre that they still puzzle scholars to this day. In 43 AD the emperor Claudius
sent his legions to conquer Britain where they remained for the next 4
centuries. Some Celtic tribes resisted the Romans and were
crushed. Others such as the ICENI chose to live peacefully while maintaining
nominal independence. In 60 AD, King Prasutagus died leaving the Icenian
kingdom jointly to the emperor Nero and his two daughters, hoping that their independence
would thereby be preserved. Big mistake. The Romans who didn't
recognize a woman's right of inheritance, simply disregarded Prasutagus' will and marched
in. When they protested, the king's wife (Queen Boudicca) and daughters were
shamelessly abused and humiliated, and many well to do Iceni noble families were displaced
from their homes.
The following year Boudicca organized a revolt against the Romans in which the Trinovantes
and others joined in. The Roman military commander, Suetonius Paulinus, was on
the far away isle of Anglesey subduing Druids when he learned of the uprising.
With an army (mob really) of up to 100,000, Boudicca led her enraged countrymen on a
killing spree destroying the roman colonies of Colchester, London, and St Albans before
facing two roman legions of up to 10,000 soldiers and cavalry. Another legion had
been caught by Boudicca's force in the open and nearly wiped out. The Celtic
warriors were confident and fierce, but disorganized and no match for the highly skilled
and disciplined roman legionaries. According to the roman historian Tacitus whose
father-in-law was an aide to Suetonius at the final battle, as many as 80,000 Britons died
in the slaughter that ensued. Boudicca herself (Britain's first war hero)
probably committed suicide.
Prior to the Icenian uprising the Romans were tolerant of local coinage. The
coin pictured below was produced by the Iceni in 61 AD in large numbers to help finance
the revolt. Following it's suppression, the Romans resolved to allow only
roman coins to circulate and no further Celtic coinage was produced in
Britain. The coin has a fright mask on obverse with a typical Celtic horse on
the reverse. It is this small silver coin which is today associated with Boudicca's
rebellion and, although not especially scarce, is particularly desirable to collectors of
early British coinage.
 
  
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