An Overview
Early coins of India (400 BCE—100 CE) were made of silver and copper, and bore animal and plant symbols on them. Coinage of Indo-Greek kingdom began to increasing influence coins from other regions of India by the 1st century BCE. By this time a large number of tribes, dynasties and kingdoms began issuing their coins; Prākrit legends began to appear. The Mauryan coins were punch marked with the royal standard to ascertain their authenticity. The Arthashastra, written by Kautilya, mentions minting of coins but also indicates that the violation of the Imperial Maurya standards by private enterprises may have been an offense. Kautilya also seemed to advocate a theory of bimetallism for coinage, which involved the use of two metals, copper and silver, under one government.
Punch marks and visible images of an elephant and the sun on Mauryan coins.
Cast bronze ½ karshapana coin of the Sunga period (2nd-1st century BCE).
The extensive coinage reserves of the Kushān empire (1st–3rd centuries CE) continued to influence the coinage of the Guptas (320 to 550 CE) and the later rulers of Kashmir. During the early rise of Roman trade with India up to 120 ships were setting sail every year from Myos Hormos to India. Gold, used for this trade, was apparently being recycled by the Kushān empire for their own coinage. Pliny the Elder (NH VI.101) complained about the drain of specie to India:
To identify various Indian coins/currencies
Ancient India Coinage
Medieval India Coinage
Mughal Indian Coinage
Pre-Colonial India & Princely States: Coinage
British India Coinage
Republic India Coinage
Early coins of India (400 BCE—100 CE) were made of silver and copper, and bore animal and plant symbols on them. Coinage of Indo-Greek kingdom began to increasing influence coins from other regions of India by the 1st century BCE. By this time a large number of tribes, dynasties and kingdoms began issuing their coins; Prākrit legends began to appear. The Mauryan coins were punch marked with the royal standard to ascertain their authenticity. The Arthashastra, written by Kautilya, mentions minting of coins but also indicates that the violation of the Imperial Maurya standards by private enterprises may have been an offense. Kautilya also seemed to advocate a theory of bimetallism for coinage, which involved the use of two metals, copper and silver, under one government.
Punch marks and visible images of an elephant and the sun on Mauryan coins.
Cast bronze ½ karshapana coin of the Sunga period (2nd-1st century BCE).
The extensive coinage reserves of the Kushān empire (1st–3rd centuries CE) continued to influence the coinage of the Guptas (320 to 550 CE) and the later rulers of Kashmir. During the early rise of Roman trade with India up to 120 ships were setting sail every year from Myos Hormos to India. Gold, used for this trade, was apparently being recycled by the Kushān empire for their own coinage. Pliny the Elder (NH VI.101) complained about the drain of specie to India:
To identify various Indian coins/currencies
Ancient India Coinage
Medieval India Coinage
Mughal Indian Coinage
Pre-Colonial India & Princely States: Coinage
British India Coinage
Republic India Coinage
No comments:
Post a Comment