2,000-year-old gold coin depicting highly-sexed Celtic king may fetch £4,000 at auction

When in Rome: 2,000-year-old gold coin depicting highly-sexed Celtic king who imported vast quantities of Roman wine after aligning himself with invaders may fetch £4,000 at auction

The newly-unearthed gold stater dates to between 30-40AD and was issued by King Verica, whose kingdom was what is now Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire
Was dug up by a treasure hunter in a field in Endmondsham on border of Dorset
One side depicts large vine leaf signifing his liking for wine, and the other shows Verica on horseback beneath letters VIRI, thought to have several meanings

By Lizzie May For Mailonline

Published: 14:49 GMT, 19 March 2022 | Updated: 14:55 GMT, 19 March 2022

A 2,000-year-old coin depicting a wine-swilling Celtic king who boasted of having a high sex drive has been unearthed by a detectorist and is tipped to sell for £4,000.

The gold stater dates to between 30-40AD and was issued by King Verica, whose kingdom was what is now Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.

He aligned himself with the Romans and imported copious amounts of Italian wine and drinking vessels in exchange for British slaves.

The gold stater dates to between 30-40AD and was issued by King Verica

Who was King Verica?

Verica was a British client king in the Roman Empire in the early first century (AD) in the years following the Claudian invasion of 43 AD.

A client king is a ruler who is dependent on another state or country for their own power, but the coins suggest Verica had been ruler of the Belgic Atrebates tribe. He had trade and diplomatic links with the Roman empire, hence his title as client king, and being recognised as rex in Rome.

Records state that ‘Bericus’ (thought to be Verica) was expelled from Britain around 40AD to 42AD during a revolt. As an ally of Rome, Verica’s banishment was the perfect excuse for Roman Emperor Claudius, to begin an invasion.

Following the invasion, Verica may have been reinstated as king, but this is not factually supported. He was later succeeded by Cogidubnus.

Verica’s relationship with the Roman Empire has been the basis of many arguments that the site of the Roman invasion in Britain was along the south coast, rather than the now recognised spot at Richborough in Kent.

He also encouraged the Roman invasion of Britain in the 1st century after his own kingdom was threatened by an invading tribe.

The coin was dug up by a treasure hunter in a field in Edmondsham on the Dorset/Hampshire border last summer.

One side depicts a large vine leaf that signifies his liking for wine.

The other shows Verica on horseback beneath the letters VIRI. The four letters are thought to have several meanings.

They are said to represent the name Verica. They also mean the word ‘virile’ in Latin, which could also be a nod to his reputation as a lothario.

Finally, the letters could also be read as Latin for Venum Rex – the wine king.

The stater, which is made from a mix of gold, silver and copper, is going under the hammer with Chris Rudd Auctions, of Norwich.

Mr Rudd said: ‘Verica was well in with the Romans and imported quite a lot of wine.

‘This coin has a large vine leaf on one side which is a very unusual decoration for a British coin.

‘Around his seat of power that is Chichester, Roman wine vessels have been found dating to before the Roman invasion. Verica was definitely a wine importer and probably exchanged wine in return for British slaves.

‘Verica was the person responsible for the Roman invasion. He gave them reason to come over here and conquer Britain in 43AD.

‘He was angry that a rival tribe north of the Thames was trying to take over his region and his cities.

‘So he went to Emperor Claudius to ask for help and encouraged the Romans to come across. Claudius wanted to prove himself to the Romans and thought he could get a lot of glory by invading Britain.

‘The coin was found in Dorset which is the furthest west one of these coins has been found.

‘It is a scarce coin and there are about 50 to 100 of these that are known.

‘The stater was struck for military purposes, for Verica to pay his warriors to fight invading forces.’

Mr Rudd compared Verica to Russian dictator Putin.

He added: ‘This stater depicts him posing as a strong man on horseback, a bit like Putin.

‘VIRI has numerous meanings. It means his name in Latin, it means the word virile, it means ‘the high one’ and it means the wine king. The Celts liked to play on words with their coinage.’

The stater is being sold on 20 March.

The one side of the coin shows Verica on horseback beneath the letters VIRI

The Roman occupation of Britain

43 AD is known among historians as the year that Roman Emperor Claudius began making moves towards invading what was then known as Britannia.

Previously, Britannia and the Roman Empire had enjoyed a close relationship, particularly in the century since Julius Caeser’s expeditions in 55 and 54 BC.

By the 40s AD, a political situation in Britannia was brewing. A tribe in southeastern Britain, known as the Catuvellauni had displaced the Trinovantes as the most powerful kingdom in south-eastern Britain, and had taken over their capital of modern day Colchester. The Atrebates tribe, which had friendly links with the Roman Empire, but their king, Verica, was soon displaced and banished. The entire kingdom was swiftly taken over by Caratacus.

Resistant to the Roman Empire, Caratacus left Claudius concerned. He decided to invade the country under the guise of reinstating Verica. After landing and meeting some resistance, the reinforcements proved too powerful for the Belgic, and they retreated.

Medway would come to be the decisive battle in Britain because it would come to render the Belgic kingdom helpless and open for Roman occupation. Caratacus was forced to flee to Wales, and Verica was reinstated.

This laid the foundations for the Roman influence over the formation of modern day Britain. Roman economic and cultural influence had a huge role to play in the British late pre-Roman Iron Age, particularly in the south of the country.

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