Coins

Coins

All the engravers creativity expresses itself through these miniature works of art. Indeed, the Gallic coin is one of the rare productions to be found in such abundance and which illustrates their surprising creative spirit. Of Greek inspiration, the Gallic currencies reflect an art and religious concerns that are completely different: the patterns are extremely bald and stylized, almost abstract, or even Cubist, giving the pieces a very modern look, the reading of which sometimes proves to be difficult.

Here in the Gallic Village, a important place is given to the currency which was minted in the region of Toulouse. On the heights of the present city, Vieille Toulouse was becoming the capital of the Volcae Tectosages. Tolosa gave by extension the name of Tolosates to its inhabitants.

At that time, only big partner cities minted coins. Marseille in the East, Rosas and Ampurias in the South and Rome whose abundant republican coins were in circulation. To compete with all these currencies the Volcae minted excellent quality coins, both by their weight (around 3 grams) and by the purity of the metal ; this currency, known as the "Monnaie à la croix", of Cubist style, presents on the one side a human head seen in profile with an eye seen from the front, and on the other a cross dividing the space into four different areas ; each of them bears a symbol. The most frequent are the pendant, the crescent moon, the olive and the axe.