Ilse and Leo Mildenberg Memorial Lecture:
Gods? Beasts? Warriors? Interpreting the Imagery of Celtic Coinages

Celtic coins present a remarkable world of varied, often fantastic images. The earliest coinages were generally close copies of Hellenistic coins from the Mediterranean world, but gradually they developed a distinct visual language. Elements of the original prototypes were adapted or became disjointed; because these were combined with new elements, the resulting designs can be difficult to understand today. Different regions also followed different iconographical traditions, leading to a wide variety of designs. In a later phase, the arrival of Rome on the political stage led to the re-appearance of coinages with a classical look, particularly in Britain.

In this lecture, David G. Wigg-Wolf, Honorary Professor of Leicester University, will trace the iconography of Celtic coins, from its origin to its later development, and will interpret their visual language and sociopolitical role.

David G. Wigg-Wolf was a senior researcher on the German Fundmünzen project in Frankfurt until 2009 and then a senior researcher at the Römisch-Germanische Kommission des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts until 2024. He now serves as honorary professor at Leicester University. His research interests include the production, circulation, and use of coinage in Western and Central Europe from the late pre-Roman Iron Age to the early medieval period, and digital numismatics.

To honor the memory of renowned numismatist and scholar Leo Mildenberg (1912–2001) and his years of friendship with Harvard University, a fund was established by his friends and colleagues and endowed in 2005 by his wife, Ilse Mildenberg-Seehausen.