Publication: Entre dioses y jinetes. Origen y significado iconográfico de la moneda de la Hispania Citerior (siglos III-I A.C.)
Authors
Espí Forcén, Carlos
item.page.secondaryauthor
Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Letras
item.page.director
Publisher
Fabrizio Serra editore
publication.page.editor
publication.page.department
DOI
https://doi.org/10.19272/202516801006
item.page.type
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
Diπerent meanings have been attributed to the male e√gies depicted on coins minted in Hispania Citerior following the Second Punic War. These figures have been interpreted variously as tutelary deities, founding heroes, or representations of local leaders responsible for issuing the coins. This manuscript aims to examine these images from an indigenous perspective, deliberately avoiding overreliance on interpretive frameworks rooted in the more extensively studied Greek civilization. While Greek iconographic influence on Iberian coinage is undeniable, these coins were produced for a local audience, and their imagery was presumably designed to communicate meaning within that cultural context. From this standpoint, I propose that the e√gies on these coins do not represent tutelary deities, founding heroes, or local leaders, but rather Iberian and Celtiberian gods. Unfortunately, our current understanding of the Iberian pantheon remains limited, based primarily on a small number of deciphered inscriptions from the northeastern Iberian Peninsula and the study of Iberian art. Some prominent Iberian deities – such as Neitin, Balkar, and Urdal – have been identified in inscriptions, and certain potentially deified heroes may be recognized in Iberian iconography. These gods or heroes may plausibly be the ones depicted on the obverse of these coins. The horsemen bearing palms or spears on the reverse sides of these coins were influenced by Greek models from South Italy and Sicily during the Second Punic War. Conversely, the falconer on the reverse of the coins minted in Sekaisa reflects an indigenous Iberian tradition, as evidenced by similar representations in Iberian vase painting.
publication.page.subject
Citation
Archaelologia Iberica. An International Journal, 2025, N. 3, pp. 117-137
item.page.embargo
Collections
Ir a Estadísticas
Sin licencia Creative Commons.