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Only seven other
specimens are
recorded of this
extremely rare
Three-Pellet Type of
Kite gold stater of
the Corieltavi. What
makes it so
extraordinarily
scarce is the fact
that the 'kite' (the
diamond-shaped box
above the horse)
contains only three
pellets instead of
the familiar four.
This example also
shows the wheel in
front of the horse
very clearly.
The four-spoked
wheel probably
symbolised the four
seasons, the four
elements (earth,
air, fire, water),
the four lunar
quarters and the
four directions. The
swastika is one of
the oldest symbols
in existence and one
of the most widely
spread in the world,
from furthest east
Asia to central
America, via
Mongolia, India and
northern Europe –
well known to the
ancient Greeks as
well as the Celts
and Etruscans. It
generally signifies
perpetual
regeneration. The
significance of the
so-called ‘kite’
symbol, containing
three or four
pellets, is
uncertain.
Chris Rudd May list.
27.5.08 |
