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The carnyx on Celtic and Roman republican coinage
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Swan, David (2018) The carnyx on Celtic and Roman republican coinage. Antiquaries Journal, 98 . pp. 81-94. doi:10.1017/S0003581518000161 ISSN 0003-5815.
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003581518000161
Abstract
This paper explores the cross - cultural portrayals of an unusual and striking musical instrument, the carnyx, on the coinages of the Romans and the inhabitants of Iron Age Britain and Gaul. Appearing as a snarling boar, the carnyx was a war horn used by the Gauls and Britons, which not only captivated the minds of their artists, but also those of the Romans. This paper studies the cross - cultural phenomenon of its appearance in the coin iconography of the late 2nd to late 1st centuries BC. This simultaneous analysis of Roman, Gallic and British coinage reveals that while each culture had a shared belief in the carnyx’s military role, each culture also had its own interpretation on the object’s significance. To the Romans, it was a symbol of the barbarian, to be cherished as a war trophy after a Roman victory, but to those northern Europeans, it was a sign of pride and spiritual significance. An image’s meaning is therefore seen to transform as it crosses into a new cultural context.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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Subjects: | C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CJ Numismatics | ||||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > Classics and Ancient History | ||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Coins, Roman, Numismatics, Stringed instruments -- History, Iron age -- France, Iron age -- England, Iron age -- Wales, Gaul -- History | ||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Antiquaries Journal | ||||||||
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press (CUP) | ||||||||
ISSN: | 0003-5815 | ||||||||
Official Date: | September 2018 | ||||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 98 | ||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 81-94 | ||||||||
DOI: | 10.1017/S0003581518000161 | ||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
Reuse Statement (publisher, data, author rights): | This article has been accepted for publication in a revised form for publication in The Antiquaries Journal https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquaries-journal | ||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||
Copyright Holders: | © The Society of Antiquaries of London, 2018 | ||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 17 August 2018 | ||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 17 August 2018 | ||||||||
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