AMBIANI GOLD STATER – GALLIC WARS TYPE WITH STYLIZED HORSE – CHOICE VF NGC GRADED GALLIC GAUL COIN (Inv. 19781)

$1,500.00

19781.GAUL. AMBIANI. Ca. MID 1st CENTURY BC.
Gold Stater, 5.88 g, 17 mm. Issue of the Gallic War, ca. 56–55 BC.
Obv. Blank convex surface. Rev. Abstracted horse right, crescent and pellets all around in fields.
Rudd, ABC 16; De La Tour 8710; Van Arsdell 54; Spink, SCBC 11.
NGC graded CHOICE VF, Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5.

The Ambiani (literally meaning “Those on the Border”) were a coastal tribe of the Celtic Belgae who lived in the region of Picardy in modern France. Their capital was located at a fortified town called Samarobriva, today’s Amiens (a name derived from that of the tribe). In 57 BC, the Ambiani participated in a general Belgic Confederacy formed to oppose the Roman presence in Gaul led by Julius Caesar. After suffering defeat in a fierce battle on the Banks of the Axona (Aisne) River, the members of the Belgic Confederacy withdrew to their respective territories—a fatal mistake as it allowed Caesar to employ his famous tactic of “divide and conquer.” Faced with the prospect of ultimate Roman victory, the Ambiani surrendered. The Ambiani were prolific producers of gold coinage, and this particular issue was probably struck in the context of the tribe’s early struggle against Julius Caesar. Later, in 52 BC, the Ambiani tried to join the wider Gallic uprising against the Romans led by Vercingetorix and contributed 5,000 men to relieve the siege of Alesia, but these were repulsed before they could aid the Gallic king.