Journal of Archaeology in the Low Countries 1-1 (May 2009)Nico
Roymans; Joris
Aarts: Coin use in a dynamic frontier region. Late Iron Age coinages in the Lower Rhine area
3.1 Imported gold coins (2nd – mid-1st century BC)
As yet, no first-generation Celtic coins have been found in the Lower Rhine region. The first coins did not appear here until the 2nd century BC. Initially, they all came from the more southerly regions (Fig. 4), which points to intensive interregional contacts.
The earliest gold coins to appear here are several quarter staters of the Scheers 23 type, with a male head on the obverse and a winged horse on the reverse (Fig. 5). The coins with a Pegasus originate from the Middle Rhine region (Fig. 6) and can be placed in the 2nd century BC.[16] The gold hoards of Beringen (mid-2nd century BC) and Niederzier (first half 1st century BC), both of which comprise a combination of gold jewellery and imported coins, can be dated to the same early period.[17]
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Fig. 4 Find spots of imported gold coins from the Late Iron Age in the Lower Rhine region. a. coin imported from the southwest; b. coin imported from the southeast; c. hoard (after Roymans 2004, Fig. 4.1.).
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Fig. 5 Gold quarter staters of the Pegasus type (Scheers 23 type) from the 2nd century BC. a.-b. find spot unknown; c. Limburg province (NL) (Scale c. 3:1. Photo Geld- en Bankmuseum, Utrecht).
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Fig. 6 Distribution of gold quarter staters of the Pegasus type (Scheers 23 type). Open circle: exact find spot unknown. Triangle: hoard (after Heinrichs/Rehren 1996, Fig. 12, updated).
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