NORTHWEST GAUL. Osismii. Late 2nd to mid 1st century BC. Stater (Electrum, 24 mm, 7.03 g, 12 h), 'au personnage couché' type. Celticized head of Apollo to right, with strings of pearls ending in human heads coming out of his own head. Rev. Charioteer, driving a cart drawn by a centaur to left, holding reins in his right hand and long whip ending in a cross in his left; a couched winged figure to left. DT 2203. LT 6535. Extremely rare. Scratched and the reverse struck off center, otherwise, about very fine.



The Osismii inhabited the region around Brest, at the far western tip of the Breton Peninsula in Gaul. The first known account of them comes from the renowned Massaliote explorer Pytheas. During his northern expedition in the late 4th century BCE - which would ultimately lead to the first circumnavigation of Britain - he passed by Brittany and recorded the Osismii, who were then known as the Ostimii. The name likely originates from the Celtic Ostim(i)os, meaning 'the farthest' or 'the extreme'. It thus aptly describes these mainland Celts who settled at the western 'end of the world'.