|
Here is a truly
exceptional Anted
Rigov gold stater of
the Dobunni, struck
sometime between
AD20 and the Roman
invasion of AD 43.
It not only has a
great 'tree of life'
tribal emblem
on the obverse, but
the letters OV on
the reverse (not
normally seen). Like
Antedios of the
Iceni, this ruler
was also probably
called Antedios
‘very fiery’ or
‘most godly’, with
the letter D in his
name written as a
Greek theta
and possibly
pronounced ‘tz’.
And, like
Tasciovanos of the
Catuvellauni, this
Anted proudly
proclaimed his
regality with the
title rigou
‘king’, which in the
context of lesser
rulers around his
might have conveyed
more of the status
of ‘great king’ or
‘high king’. This
honorific can be
written as RICOV,
RIGOV or RICV in the
field and the key
letter for
distinguishing these
three varieties is
frequently off the
flan or illegible.
With this lovely
example we can
clearly read the
letters OV under the
horse’s three tails.
A scarce type
and very rare in
displaying the OV of
RIGOV. Chris Rudd
July list.
9.6.08 |
