Description

Stater of the Gallic tribe of the Carnutes struck in pale gold, with a head facing right on the obverse and a biga driven by a charioteer on the reverse.

Pedigree: Argenor auction, April 23, 1999, Lot 233 (9,600 francs).

The Carnutes were a powerful Gallic tribe located between the Seine and the Loire, with main centers at Cenabum (Orléans) and Autricum (Chartres). They played a major religious role, as their territory hosted the central druidic sanctuary of Gaul. In 52 BC, they sparked the general revolt against Rome by massacring Roman merchants in Cenabum. Julius Caesar crushed the uprising, and their submission marked a turning point in the Roman conquest of Gaul.