Around the World: Kushan Coin Find at UNESCO
Newly discovered Kushan-era coins at Taxila highlight the ancient city’s role as a political, cultural, and economic center in early South Asia.
Courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
The recent discovery of coins at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Taxila in Pakistan is shedding light on the importance of this 3,000-year-old city to the history of South Asia.
Taxila, or Takshashila, is situated on the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab. The city was established by and served as the capital of migrating Indo-Aryan peoples during the Vedic period, about 1,500 to 500 B.C. Takshashila and Pushkalavati were important cities in Gandhāra during the Mahajanapadas, or “Great Kingdom,” of the sixth to fourth centuries B.C., a period marked by 16 kingdoms and aristocratic republics. Takshashila was part of the Persian Achaemenid Empire between 550 and 326 B.C. until Alexander III (“the Great”) of Macedon captured the city, which capitulated without a fight.
The city would later be ruled successively by the Mauryans, Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, and the Kushan Empire. The Kushans destroyed the city in the first century A.D., and built a city of their own just north of the ruins.
Takshashila declined in importance at the same time as did the ancient Silk Road trade routes through the region. The Hunas, or Hephthalites/Alchon Huns, destroyed the city in the fifth century. It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham rediscovered the ruins of Takshashila during the period of British India. Takshashila was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. The ruins are located within the modern town of Taxila.
Pakistani archaeologists discovered fragments of decorative stones, including lapis lazuli, and bronze composition coins while excavating the Bhir Mound, where the oldest artifacts at Takshashila have been found. The recently discovered stones date from the 6th century B.C., and the coins date from the second century A.D.
The coins have been dated to the time of the Kushan ruler King Vasudeva, a Vrishni king of the region of Mathura. An image of Vasudeva appears on the obverse, with a female deity on the reverse of the Takshashila find. The number of coins found was not immediately available.
Aasim Dogar is the deputy director of the Punjab Department of Archaeology. According to Dogar, this iconography is a hallmark of Kushan-era religious pluralism, which often blended multiple theological traditions. The coins were found in one of 16 excavation trenches. It is believed the remains were part of the city’s residential area.
Dogar said, “Under emperors such as Kanishka ‘the Great,’ Taxila emerged as a major administrative, commercial, and intellectual center.” The coin find supports this; however, Taxila-specific coins have not been found within Bihar. The female deity on the reverse of the coins may have been intended to blend Greek, Indian, Persian, and Roman styles.
According to dig site numismatist Malik Tahir Suleman, “Issued between the 1st and 4th centuries A.D., Kushan coins evolved from Indo-Greek imitations into a sophisticated imperial currency system.” Suleman added that Kushan coinage often features rulers in Central Asian dress on one side and deities including the Buddha, Helios, Mithra, Nana, and Shiva on the other.
Vasudeva issued gold dinars and their quarters in addition to copper coins. His coinage often features Oesho on the reverse. Oesho is generally identified as Shiva, a pan-Hindu deity. Other coins feature Mao, the father god, or Nana, the mother god. Vasudeva also restored the royal imagery of Kanishka “the Great,” who is depicted nimbate, standing and sacrificing over an altar while holding a trident rather than his spear on gold coins. Towards the end of his reign, Vasudeva introduced the Nandipada symbol on his coinage. The Nandipada (“foot of Nandi”) or taurine symbol is meant to be the mark left by the hoof of a bull.
According to Dogar, the coins highlight Taxila’s political, cultural, and economic prominence under the Kushans, particularly between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D. Suleman added that Kushan coins are among the most important historical sources for studying ancient South and Central Asia.
Much of what is known about Kushan political history has been derived from its coinage. Inscriptions are typically in the Bactrian language, a script derived from Greek. Several regional mints suggest parts of the empire were semi-independent.
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