original artwork for the Being Human exhibition
2,000 years ago, nearly 70,000 coins and other precious items were buried in a field in Jersey. Their discovery has led to further reflection on their story, and the culture that hid them.
The Coriosoliate tribe coins which have inspired my work are highly stylised, displaying a strong Celtic, Iron Age cultural identity. In a world without media, the human desire to share the tribe’s image and appearance was prevalent, and the opportunity to express the tribe’s identity in a portable item was accepted. The coins show a remarkable level of precise detail which is extraordinary given the basic technology available. Then, as now, it was both a security feature of the coins that they were produced using the most sophisticated techniques, and a point of tribal pride that the coins were of such quality.
And what of the people who owned these coins? Contemporary Roman literature paints them as a savage and uncivilised race to be conquered, even using the relative equality experienced by Celtic women as evidence of their barbarism. We are aware from contemporary writings that Celtic women were able to bear arms and take part in warfare, they could hold senior positions such as judges and negotiators, and there are examples of Celtic women leading tribes (such as Boudica), they had rights over property even within marriage.
We know from the timing of the coins’ burial that the Celtic tribes of Gaul were being invaded by the Romans, and it was likely this event that motivated the Celtic tribes to hide their wealth from the advancing Roman forces. Sadly, no one ever returned for their hidden treasure.
Thank you to Jersey Heritage and the Le Catillon II hoard coins for inspiration
ali artology 