The bronze coinage of the British Iron Age has to date received scant attention when com- pared to the gold and silver issues, and the bronze coinage belonging to the wider Tasciovanos complex is no exception. The reason is perhaps that bronze coins lack some of the glam- our associated with the gold and silver issues, and due to wear or corrosion they are often found in relatively poor condition. In addition, they were usually produced in a large array of different types, thus making any detailed investigation a considerable undertaking.
It has been recognized since the time of Evans that the types attributed to Tasciovanos and the wider Tasciovanos group, namely Sego, Dias, Andoco and Rues, are all typologically interlinked and belong to a broadly similar timescale. Whilst the numerous problems associated with the issues of Andoco, Sego and Dias have recently been examined in some detail, the Rues types have until now escaped closer scrutiny. The only recent study of Rues issues formed part of Allen’s examination of the Celtic coins from the Romano-British tem- ple at Harlow, Essex, published in three parts in the 1960s. This included sixteen bronzes belonging to the wider Tasciovanos group, among them the four Rues types.
By 1980 only thirty-nine Rues bronzes had been recorded, with the majority of them having been found in archaeological excavation. The figure has since risen to 142, a more than three- fold increase. Remarkably, the number of types has remained static since Evans published the fourth and final one (VI890) in his 1890 supplement.
The Coinage of Rues
Kretz, Rainer
The British Numismatic Society, Vol. 77 (2007)
Abstract
The bronze coinage of the British Iron Age has to date received scant attention when com- pared to the gold and silver issues, and the bronze coinage belonging to the wider Tasciovanos complex is no exception. The reason is perhaps that bronze coins lack some of the glam- our associated with the gold and silver issues, and due to wear or corrosion they are often found in relatively poor condition. In addition, they were usually produced in a large array of different types, thus making any detailed investigation a considerable undertaking.
It has been recognized since the time of Evans that the types attributed to Tasciovanos and the wider Tasciovanos group, namely Sego, Dias, Andoco and Rues, are all typologically interlinked and belong to a broadly similar timescale. Whilst the numerous problems associated with the issues of Andoco, Sego and Dias have recently been examined in some detail, the Rues types have until now escaped closer scrutiny. The only recent study of Rues issues formed part of Allen’s examination of the Celtic coins from the Romano-British tem- ple at Harlow, Essex, published in three parts in the 1960s. This included sixteen bronzes belonging to the wider Tasciovanos group, among them the four Rues types.
By 1980 only thirty-nine Rues bronzes had been recorded, with the majority of them having been found in archaeological excavation. The figure has since risen to 142, a more than three- fold increase. Remarkably, the number of types has remained static since Evans published the fourth and final one (VI890) in his 1890 supplement.
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