When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
This ancient Celtic Iberian coin, with very few known, is a must have for any collector. Minted between 120 BC and 20 BC in the ancient city of Sekaisa by the Belli people, it is between 2000 and 2100 years old and is sure to be a great addition to your collection.
Sekaisa is an ancient settlement, between today's Belmonte de Gracián and Mara in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. Originally it was a Celtiberian town, whose inhabitants, the Belli, gave it the name Sekeida or Sekeiza.
The Belli, also known as Beli or Belaiscos, were an ancient pre-Roman Celtiberian people, possibly of mixed Illyrian and Belgic origin, and probably related with the Bellovaci. The Belli lived in the modern-day Spanish province of Zaragoza from the 3rd Century BC. They inhabited the middle Jiloca and Huerva river valleys in the Zaragoza province with their territories stretching up to the Guadalope and upper Turia valleys, close to their neighbours and clients, the Titii. Their early capital was Segeda, possibly replaced later by Bilbilis.
In 153 BC, the Roman Senate changed the first day of the consular year to 1 January in order to allow consul Quintus Fulvius Nobilior to attack the city of Segeda during the Celtiberian Wars. The city was destroyed during the war but, soon after, a new settlement was built on a nearby site. Coinage shows it had the same name as the old settlement, but "Segeda II" (as archeologists have named it) was under Roman influence, obvious from the rectilinear layout of streets and other features. During the events of the Roman Civil War, "Segeda II" was ruined, and after 49 BC it was abandoned permanently.
In 1998 excavations began in the area, bringing this ancient settlement into prominence.
As with coins of this period, there is a great deal of wear and environmental issues but it is amazing that it has even survived to this day. Add this piece to your collection and let it be a conversation starter with your friends, family, and other collectors.
4956
