Oriental Numismatic Society & Numismatic Society of India

Seminar 14 & 15 May, Sackler Rooms British Museum

Friday 14 May
Introductory Session (10.00 to 10.30)
	Welcome & Introduction N Rhodes (ONS), P N Singh (NSI), J Cribb (RNS) Medal Distribution by the Numismatic Society of India
Session 1 Ancient (10.30 to 12.30)
10.30	Early Inscribed Coins of Vidarbha Prashant Kulkarni
11.20	A New Local Type of Silver Punchmark Coin… Sharad Sharma
12.00	Ancient India-Rome Contacts – A Numismatic Perspective S Suresh
12.30	Coinage of Kaushambi B P Verma
Session 2 (2.00 to 4.00)
2.00	Secret Marks on the Coins of the Bengal Presidency Paul Stevens
2.45	The Fundamental Indian Weight System and its Derivatives Rob Tye
3.30	Adivaraha Coins in Museum Collections Pratipal Bhatia
4.15	The Kumaruguri Hoard and its Curious Coin SK Bose
Saturday 15 May
Session 3 Indo-Greek/Scythian (10.15 to 12.00)
10.15	Telling Stories – The Narrative Logic of Indo-Greek History Robert Bracey
10.45	Indo-Greek Die Studies Jez Stanley
11.15	Coins of the Paratarajas Pankaj Tandon
Session 4 – Satavahana/Ksatrap (1.30 to 3.00)
1.30	Contribution of Coins to Satavahana History D Raja Reddy
2.10	A Simple Two Mint Model for Western Kshatrapa Coinage Pankaj Tandon
Session 5 – Gupta (3.10 to 4.00)
3.10	Samudragupta’s King and Queen Coins and the patterning… Ellen Raven
3.45	A Unique Coin of Chandragupta II Girish Sharma
4.15	Two New Coin Types in Post-Gupta Coinage Ujjwal Saha
Closing Session

Principle Sponsor A H Baldwin & Sons

Also Supported by

Classical Numismatic Group

Simmon’s Gallery

Abstracts

Pratipal Bhatia

Adivaraha Coins in Museum Collections

My paper is divided in two parts:

1. In this part attempt is made to give historiographical analysis of Adivaraha coins in the U.K. coin collections (British Museum and Ashmolean Museum specifically);

2. Paper will attempt to give a very brief analysis of Adivaraha coin collections in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, and the State Museum Lucknow. perhaps with a few words on Rajasthan collections of Adivaraha coins.

Robert Bracey

Telling Stories - The Narrative Logic of Indo-Greek History

The work of WW Tarn 'The Greeks in Bactria' has a mixed reception amongst modern scholars. For some his is the great synthesis of Bactrian and Indo-Greek history which has inspired generations of scholars. For others it is a melange of over-interpretation, ludicruous assumptions, and bizarre invention. There is no doubting that Tarn, and others that follow him, spin a yarn, it is as he says 'a very great adventure', but is the story in any sense true, does it fulfill Ranke's first duty of the historian 'to tell it as it was'. This talk will examine the problems inherent in the history of the Indo-Greeks. How do we write history when all we have is coins? What sort of histories can we write? Is it even possible to write history, or can we only ever tell stories?

Prashant Kulkarni

Early Inscribed Coins of Vidarbha

Ellen Raven

Samudragupta’s King-and-Queen coins and the patterning of early Gupta coin designs

The attribution of the King-and-Queen coins has always taken priority over the study of their formal design features. In my presentation I will therefore focus on the latter as an important aspect of mint-idiomatic patterning. This approach provides a means to tie the King-and-Queen designs in with those of other coin types of Samudragupta. It also offer a basis to assess specific coins that show deviant features in style, iconography or fabric.

D Raja Reddy

Contribution of coins to Satavahana history

One of the most illustrious dynasties of India, the Satavahanas ruled over the Deccan after the Mauryas, Sungas and Kanvas.They left behind such great works of art as the famous Sanchi and Amaravati stupas and rock cut temples in western India which testified to their love of art. However, they have been the subject of a lively controversy which has not yet abated. Firstly who were the Satavahanas? Were they really Andhras as represented by the 'puranas'.But nowhere in their records were the Satavahanas called Andhras. In fact, contemporary inscriptions referred to them as Satavahanas but not as Andhras. Secondly when did their rule begin? Was it 230 BC. or in the third quarter of first century B.C.? However there is agreement as to when their rule ended which was around 230 A.D. Thirdly how long their rule lasted? Was it 456-460 years or for a much shorter period. Lastly where did their begin?. Was it coastal Andhra, Vidarba, Western Maharashtra or in Telangana region.

The three major source materials available for the study of atavahana history are the literary works, inscriptions and coins of that period. Literary works of that period are few and only help in gaining a glimpse of the social, religious and economic aspects f life of the people of those times but are not very helpful to historical documentation. There are thirty odd inscriptions of the Satavahana period available and majority of them are non-official. It may be asserted that inscriptions are more reliable than literary works but are not a great help for the reconstruction of Satavahana history. Satavahana coins have been found for almost two hundred years but the discovery of Kotalingala coins in 1978 has been considered as a significant event in Andhra history. This presentation is about the significance of the coins to the Satavahana history. The Satavahana coins which were found as hoards, strays and site finds in excavations ended some of the controversies raised by the testimony of the puranas, literary works and inscriptions.

Satasri, Rudra, Karna and Kumba are not mentioned in the puranas but their coins have been found which may mean that they must be either kinbgs of the family or of a collateral branch. Hence the list of Satavahana kings as provided in puranas is not complete. Similarly, coins and inscriptions of the middle group of kings listed in the puranas have not been found.

1. Coins of the Satavahana kings who are not listed puranas have been found proving that purana lists of kings of this dynasty is incompete.

2. Coins proved where the rule of Satavahans commenced which was in Kotalingala in Karimnagar district. The discovery of Kotalingala coins in 1978 was a significant event in Andhra numismatics. The variety of coins found at this site was staggering and these included punch marked, uninscribed and inscribed coins of Pre-Satavahana and early Satavahana kings.

3. Coins proved that Chimuka was his correct name

4. Coins proved that Chimuka followed Samagopa at Kotalingala.

5. Coins followed Kautilya as for the composition of coins.

Ujjwal Saha

Two new coin types in post Gupta coinage

1) Samatata: Occurrence of a bull symbol closely ionizing the typical bull type on Chandra silver coins, between the king’s face and the common horse head topped standard device of the Samatata coins. This unique feature on the concerned specimen totally defies the conventional bull topped standard of the early samatata rulers like Baalamriganka, Rajabhatta etc, and possibly links to the influence from and circulation with the Chandra coins.

2) Sashanka: Discovery of a unique copper coin of the ruler who’s issues were only known to be in gold so far.

Girish Sharma

A Unique Coin of Chandragupta II

Sharad Sharma

'A NEW LOCAL TYPE OF SILVER PUNCHMARKED COINS FROM MADHYA PRADESH'

These coins are 'karshapana' weight standard silver punchmarked coins of four symbols. I will also put in comparative details of various other types of similar coinage, which has been found in nearby areas in past. A comparative study of symbols, patterns, weight-standard and other features of this coinage type will help not only for a satisfactory attribution but also, should be quite significant from historical viewpoint. (proper abstract to follow)

Jez Stanley

Indo-Greek Die Studies

This paper will introduce the results of a die study carried out on the silver tetradrachms of Antialcidas, an Indo-Greek king said to have ruled during the 1st century BC. The results will demonstrate evidence of a potentially complex minting process seemingly anomalous with the number of extant coins, and indeed the comparable results of a further die study carried out on the silver drachms of the same issuer. This has possible implications on historical reconstructions based upon coinage.

Paul Stevens

Secret Marks on the Coins of the Bengal Presidency

When the milled coinage of the Bengal Presidency was begun, four mints were in operation, Calcutta, Murshidabad, Patna and Dacca. Secret marks were added to the dies so that these mints could be identified, and Pridmore has proposed which mark should be assigned to each mint. This attribution will be explored, and some changes proposed. The talk will also explore whether or not secret marks were employed in earlier coinages of the Bengal Presidency.

S Suresh

Ancient India-Rome Contacts—A Numismatic Perspective

Not many are aware that the contact between ancient India and the Mediterranean regions was not confined to mere trade. It extended to diplomatic relations and even cultural interaction. The contacts began around the third century B.C. and extended up to the fifth-sixth centuries A.D. Literary sources Greek, Latin and Tamil supplement the archaeological evidences for these contacts.

The present paper attempts to trace the trade routes and the chronology of the trade mainly on the basis of the date and distribution pattern of the Roman objects, mainly coins, discovered in different parts of Africa and South Asia, especially South India. The series of recent discoveries of early Indian objects including coins in the Red Sea ports confirms that the trade was mainly routed through Africa. Initially, the Romans and their African/Arabian representatives frequented the ports on the West coast (Malabar coast) of India because the circumnavigation of Cape Comorin was considered too hazardous. This is confirmed by the fact that all Roman Republican coins (second-first centuries B.C.) are confined to the Laccadives, Kerala region (southwestern India) and the sites near the Palghat pass (Coimbatore area). Such finds are unknown in coastal Tamilnadu and Andhra=southeastern India. The paucity of Roman pottery in Kerala is again because the majority of the Roman objects including ceramics reached India during the first century A.D. – the period when the trade was more brisk along the southeastern coast (Coromandel coast); the zenith of Kerala’s contact with the Western world was probably in the late first century B.C. It is well-known that the Julio-Claudian coin finds are concentrated in the Coimbatore region, close to the Palghat pass which was in those days, a vital „corridor‟ linking the Malabar and the Coromandel coasts. Hoards containing aurei of the second century A.D. have been more frequently recovered in Andhra indicating a greater use of the ports of that region during those years. On the other hand, late Roman and Byzantine coins of the late-fourth and fifth centuries A.D. are mostly confined to coastal Tamilnadu, Madurai, Karur and Sri Lanka, indicating another major shift in the regions connected with the trade. Roman coins are extremely rare anywhere to the east of India and Sri Lanka. The few poorly recorded finds of such coins from regions around the Gulf of Siam (Gulf of Thailand) and China may not be products of trade but mere curios brought by diplomatic embassies or pilgrims.

Significant changes are discernible not only in the trade-routes but also in the principal commodities of trade between the initial (first century B.C. – first century A.D.) and the later (fourth-fifth centuries A.D.) phases of the commerce. In the initial period(at least up to the end of the second century A.D.), the main items of export from India were luxury goods such as ivory, silks, pearls and precious stones and also, the volume of trade, both in the luxury and the non-luxury items, was very large, thus necessitating the use of the Roman gold and silver issues in the high-value transactions involved in the trade. Hence, most of the Roman coins of this period found in India are of silver or gold. But by the third-fourth centuries A.D., the volume of trade had considerably diminished and the main area of Roman activity during this period was restricted to Madurai-Karur region of Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka. Moreover, the main exports from India, by this time, were solely confined to articles of everyday use such as cotton fabrics and pepper, thus warranting the use of the low-value Roman coppers in the transactions between the Indian and the Mediterranean merchants. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority of the Roman coins of this period found in India are of copper.

Pankaj Tandon

Coins of the Pāratarājas

The Pāratas were a tribe whose coins are found in the state of Balochistan in Pakistan. Until recently, the coin legends had not been adequately read, and there was little information on the relative or absolute chronology of their kings. This paper presents the first such complete chronologies. Eleven kings who issued coins are identified and arranged in a relative chronology based on die analysis and study of the evolution of the coin designs. Further, the dynasty is dated to the period c. 125-300 CE based on evidence from many different sources.

Pankaj Tandon

A Simple Two Mint Model for Western Kshatrapa Coinage

It has long been known that the coins of many Western Kshatrapa kings have two main legends. Allan, in his catalogue of coins at the British Museum, implicitly assumed that the differences were chronological markers, but more recent evidence has shown this assumption to be untrue. Nobody has yet tried to provide an alternative explanation for these legend differences. In this paper, I explore the possibility that the differences in legend may indicate that the coins were issued from different mints. This hypothesis then yields solutions to several century-old problems, such as the identity of the king variously named Dāmaghsada and Dāmajadasri, whether Jīvadāman had one or two reigns, and why Rudrasimha I was apparently “demoted” from Mahakshatrapa to Kshatrapa mid-way through his reign.

Rob Tye

The Fundamental Indian Weight System and its Derivatives There can be little doubt that a fundamental Indian weight system has existed for the last 4,000 years. The system, and the evidence for its continued existence, will be outlined. More controversial hypotheses, concerning how and when this system was adopted and adapted by successive Persian, Greek and Islamic rulers will also be suggested, and hopefully, debated.

Badri Prasad Verma

COINAGE OF KAUSHAMBI: A study in view of recent discoveries and allied issues

Kaushambi was the capital of Vatsa, which was among the sixteen most prominent majajanapadas during the time of Buddha (as per Buddhist chronicle ‘Anguttara Nikaya’). Despite Kaushambi being among the six biggest cities of those times, no finds of local type silver punchmarked coins have been reported from this site. However, in terms of copper coins, Kaushambi may be considered among the most prolific issuers of that era. On the basis of minting technique used, the copper coinage of Kaushambi may broadly be divided in two categories:

1. Cast Copper coins

i) Local types

ii) Imperial types

2. Die-struck copper coins

(The entire copper coinage of Kaushambi will then be categorized and illustrated, with all necessary details viz. weight, size, symbols, photographs. This will be followed by a discussion on various issues viz.:

a. Metal analysis

b. Weight Standard

c. Peculiar shaped coins

d. City State name coins

e. Finding of numerous types of silver plated forgeries of local type silver punchmarked coins

f. Internal sequence of various types

g. Absolute chronological deductions (based on the author’s first hand information regarding finding of certain types together, finding of certain outside coins with local coins, finding spots of certain types from various excavated sites of Kaushambi etc.)

In nutshell, the author proposes to shed his first hand knowledge (acquired over a period of more than two decades) over this coinage, which will include a good number of hitherto unlisted types/varieties.