The Celtic Heritage of Ankyra, Pessinus, and Tavium

In the 3rd century BCE, Celtic (Galatian) tribes settled in the heart of Anatolia, establishing a new homeland known as Galatia. This new homeland was shaped around three main tribes and their capitals:

To the west, Pessinus, the capital of the Tolistobogii; in the center, Ankyra, the capital of the Tectosages; and to the east, Tavium, the capital of the Trocmi. These three cities were not merely tribal centers but also served as the three main mints where the numismatic history of Galatia was written. Although the Galatian kings struck their own coinage, the autonomous and semi-autonomous issues produced by these three cities offer us a more local and diverse portrait of the Galatian world. While these mints shared a common Celtic heritage, they each demonstrated how their distinct religious, political, and geographical identities were reflected in their coinage.  

Pessinus: The Sacred City of the Mother Goddess Pessinus, in western Galatia, was one of Anatolia's most important religious centers even before the arrival of the Galatians. The city was the primary cult center of Kybele, the chief goddess of the Phrygians, worshipped by the Romans as Magna Mater (Great Mother). When the Tolistobogii settled here, they inherited this deep religious legacy, and Pessinus maintained its importance as a temple state. This profound religious identity has left its mark on almost all of the city's coinage.  

The most common theme on coins struck at Pessinus is Kybele and her mythical consort, Attis. The obverses of the coins typically feature jugate busts of these two deities. Kybele is depicted with a turreted crown, reminiscent of city walls, while Attis wears his distinctive Phrygian cap. The reverses usually feature a lion, Kybele's sacred animal, believed to draw her chariot. This iconography clearly demonstrates that Pessinus's identity was founded not so much on political or military power, but on its guardianship of this ancient Mother Goddess cult.  

Ankyra: The Roman Provincial Capital Ankyra (modern Ankara), the capital of the central Tectosages, gradually became Galatia's most important city due to its strategic location. Especially after Galatia was reorganized as a Roman province in 25 BCE, Ankyra became the provincial capital. This administrative role also shaped the city's numismatic identity.  

The Ankyra mint became particularly active during the Roman Imperial period, striking coins on behalf of the Koinon (League) of Galatia or directly for the emperors. These coins reflect the city's close ties with Rome and its status within the empire. For instance, large bronze coins bearing the portraits of emperors such as Nerva or Caracalla demonstrate Ankyra's deep integration into the imperial system. Inscriptions on the coins, such as "Η ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙC ΤΗϹ ΓΑΛΑΤΙΑC ΑΝΚΥΡΑ" (Ankyra, the Metropolis of Galatia), proudly proclaim the city's capital status. Furthermore, the figure of an anchor (Greek: ankyra), bearing a phonetic resemblance to the city's name, was sometimes used as a symbol.  

Tavium: Guardian of the East Tavium, the capital of the Trocmi in the east, possessed a numismatic tradition that largely reflected local and Hellenistic elements. The main theme of the city's coinage is Zeus, worshipped here as "Zeus Tavianos," whose colossal bronze statue stood in the city. The obverse of the coins typically features a laureate portrait of Zeus, while the reverse shows his symbol, an eagle with outstretched wings standing on a thunderbolt.  

While Tavium's coinage, like Pessinus, displays a religious focus (the cult of Zeus), it does not exhibit a strong Roman connection like Ankyra. Instead, the coins offer interesting clues about the region's geography and Celtic heritage. On some coins, the river god Halys is depicted, representing the Kızılırmak (Halys) River that flows through the region. Even more interestingly, some rare examples depict the animal-headed war trumpet known as the "carnyx," used by the Galatians in battle and one of the most distinctive symbols of Celtic identity. This is rare numismatic evidence that Tavium preserved the memory of its Celtic roots beneath its Hellenized identity.  

In conclusion, while these three main mints of Galatia shared a common Celtic heritage, they developed distinct identities. Pessinus emerges as a religious center shaped around the cult of Kybele; Ankyra, an administrative capital integrated into Rome; and Tavium, a tribal center combining Hellenistic traditions with traces of local geography and Celtic heritage. The coinage of these three cities shows us that the "Galatian" identity was not a single monolithic structure, but rather comprised diverse local identities expressed in different ways within Anatolia's rich cultural mosaic.

Source:
https://asiaminorcoins.com/galatia.html
https://sivrihisar.bel.tr/en/icerikler/31-pessinus-ancient-city.html
https://silver.kbr.be/Ancyra
http://snible.org/coins/hn/galatia.html
https://www.goldeneaglecoin.com/item/aspendos-pamphylia-ar-stater-330_200-bc-wrestlers--slinger-chvf