Celtic-Iberian Coin of Castulo, Hispania--Sphinx 150 BC Start Price USD 24.99 Current Price USD 29.99 Time Left - Bid Count 2 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, July 12, 2008 End Time Saturday, July 19, 2008 Location San Antonio, TX See more about 'Celtic-Iberian Coin of Castulo, Hispania--Sphinx 150 BC' Description For your consideration, a Celtic Iberian bronze coin (As) from Castulo, Hispania, minted around 150 BC.   It reflects the Greek influence on early Celtic coins and has a nice man-headed sphinx on the reverse.  It measures 28mm and 15.72g, so it is a nice big coin--attribution is SNG UK 0902-1314. The obverse has a diademed male head right.  The reverse shows a sphinx wearing a spiked helmet standing right, left paw raised; star before.   In exergue is the Celtic script for Castulo.  Much nicer in hand than the photo show. Greek contacts with the Iberian Peninsula were known as early as the seventh century BC.  Spain is mentioned in Homer's Odyssey and Phoenician vessels may well have arrived centuries earlier.  From the North, Celtic peoples moved into Spain about 900 BC, settling in the northern part of the country.  About 600 BC, Greeks landed in Spain and established trading posts along the east coast.  It took the Romans almost two centuries to conquer the freedom-loving Spanish tribes and to create a Roman province called Hispania from which Spain's present name, Espana, is derived. Sometime before 500 B.C., Celtic tribes began reaching what is now Ireland and Britain. Anthropologists and geneticists believe that waves of different Celtic tribes migrated to Ireland and Britain over long periods of time. While many tribes came from the European mainland, a large number also migrated from the Iberian Peninsula.  DO NOT BID IF YOU ARE IN ITALY!  Strict Italian customs regulations makes it impossible for me to ship coins to Italy--sorry! Place a Bid!