Dobunni Catti stater

[Gaz T 130]

I have owned one of these coins for many years, the coin in the picture is not mine though. 

I have always wondered what the celt who cut the design was thinking. 

So here is my Christmas interpretation of the design. The coin was minted at the time of the birth of Christ. 

So here goes,  in the centre of the coin we see the triple tailed horse with a great big square muzzle  and  huge  ears, my thinking is it's more like a donkey. Sitting on the back of the donkey is the hidden face very small but maybe a baby. Then directly above is the small curved shape, to my thinking this could be a Celtic round house or maybe a stable. On each side of the stable there is a pellet, maybe two people possibly called Mary and Joseph. 

Looking over to the left of the coin there are three pellets and under the C of Catti is a tiny star shaped pellet to the east of the three pellets on the left, maybe just maybe the three pellets on the left could be the three wise men following the star just over the stable. Then looking directly under the donkey we see the wheel, the wheel of life as documented in different religions. Maybe the wheel represents that the life of Jesus will go on and on.

Now we come to the reverse of the coin. It is said the Christmas tree was started in the 16th century in Germany by devote Christians. They decorated there trees with candle and apples a sign of undiing life.

Maybe looking at this coin the celts were thinking exactly the same. ?

Happy Christmas all. 

[Peckris 579]

Happy Christmas Gaz 

Alas, your interpretation is almost completely wrong. First, there was no large scale immigration by Celts - it was more of a cultural invasion, i.e. what we have of Celtic art etc is what was adopted by the indigenous Beaker People.

Second, the Iron Age population was largely absorbed into Roman culture, of which a small minority were Christian. Christianity came partly from that source (Romans), then the Irish missionaries in Scotland, and quite a bit later by other missionaries from Rome (St Augustine etc). Up until then, the invading/settling Saxons were pagan.

Third, the Iron Age peoples who lived and survived in Roman Britain had adopted Celtic culture which was not Christian at that stage. The horse, for example, was a symbol of fertility, see the White Horse (Wilmington?). As for what you're seeing as a tree is most likely an ear of wheat, as can be seen in more sophisticated form on Westerham coins.

An ingenious theory but wrong!

 

Unknown

[Gaz T 130]

Haha I like my nativity theory better ? 

Have a great Christmas.