The Iceni tribe made this Iron Age coin. One side shows a horse surrounded
by rings. It is inscribed 'ANTED'. The other side has two crescents and a
wreath. The coin was found at Westcombe Park in Blackheath.
The Iceni
The Iceni lived in Britain before the Romans arrived. The tribe inhabited
what is now Suffolk and Norfolk. Their coins are found mainly in East
Anglia, but are sometimes found south and west of London too. When the
Romans invaded Britain, the Iceni chose at first to work with them rather
than to fight. Things changed, however, after Boudica's husband Prasutagus
died.
Boudica's rebellion
Boudica's husband was chief of the Iceni. After his death the Romans
treated them as a conquered tribe. In response, the Iceni and their allies
the Trinovantians rebelled in ad 60. Under Boudica's leadership, they
destroyed London and many other Roman towns. The Romans defeated them in
ad 61 and Boudica committed suicide. That was the end of any major
resistance to the Romans in southern Britain.
