Lectures on Ancient Indian Numismatics (Carmichael Lectures, 1921) c8.73

c8.73

Two more of the pre-historic signs occurring on the punch-marked coins. Figure 144 of Mr. Theobald's plates is described by him as "a star of eight points," and is a mark found on Kārshāpaṇas. But precisely the same sign has been observed on the megalithic pottery exhumed by Mr. Yazdani from the pre-historic cairns in the Nizam's Dominions as will be seen from No. 69 of his "Diagram of marks."¹ The same symbol is noticeable also in the neolithic rock-carvings in Edakal in Malabar.² Again, the numismatists need not be told what is meant by the 'Ujjain symbol' Cunningham invented this designation, because the symbol frequently occurred on coins found at Ujjain. The designation is, however, admitted to be defective, because the same symbol is noticeable in other parts of India. The designation is applied to an object which consists of a cross with each of its arms terminating in a ball or circle. And precisely this object is found in crosses on the Kassite cylinders in Western Asia.³