Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c16: I. Introduction
Indische Paläographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c16
- Language
- German
I. Introduction
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**§ 1. Limits of the Contribution.** — The object of this contribution is to give an account from the historical point of view of all the known coinages of ancient and mediaeval India, beginning with the earliest times and extending in each particular instance to a period determined by the following considerations. In the case of the states of Northern India generally, and those also of Southern India which were situated to the north of the river Kistna, our subject is naturally bounded by those well-defined limits which are, as a rule, afforded by the introduction of the Muhammadan form of coinage as a result of the progress of Muhammadan conquest between c. 1000 and 1310 A.D. In the extreme south, where Muhammadan supremacy was never absolute, and where, consequently, no similar break of continuity occurs in the coinage, our survey will not extend beyond the rise of the kingdom of Vijayanagar in 1326 A.D.
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Beyond these limits reference will, however, be made to any note-worthy instance in which, from some special cause, such as the isolation or inaccessibility of a state, the use of an early form of coinage has survived until a later date.
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**§ 2. Classification.** — Ancient and mediaeval Indian coins, as thus defined, fall naturally into three main classes — (1) a primitive native coinage, which, so far as the present state of our knowledge will allow us to judge, seems to have been very widely used throughout India and in Ceylon; and, following this, the classes which numismatists have usually distinguished geographically as (2) Northern, and (3) Southern. These terms are not strictly accurate, as any rigid geographical classification is, in this case, impossible. The real distinction between the two classes so called is due to the disturbing influence of foreign invasions; and, while it is true that all the successive waves of foreign influence came in at the N. W. corner of India, it is equally true that most of them had spent their force not only before reaching the south, but even before reaching the centre or the north-east. On the other hand, intercourse with the north gave to the coinage of certain southern states, e. g. that of the Andhras, some of the usual northern characteristics. In the numismatic sense, therefore, the term 'Northern' should be understood as denoting that class of Indian coins in which the primitive native system of coinage is very greatly modified by foreign influence, and the term 'Southern' as denoting that class in which, for the most part, an independent and distinctively Indian development is to be traced.
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**§ 3. Literature.** — The following are standard works on the different branches of Indian numismatics. Further references are given in or at the end of each section.
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(1) *Graeco-Bactrian and Indian generally* — H. H. WILSON, Ariana Antiqua, 1841; J. PRINSEP, Essays on Indian Antiquities (originally published in JBA. 1832—38), edited and supplemented by E. THOMAS, 1858.
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(2) *Graeco-Bactrian, Graeco-Indian, and early Indo-Scythic* — A. CUNNINGHAM, Coins of Alexander's Successors in the East, 1873 (= NChr. 1868, pp. 93. 181. 257; 1869, pp. 28. 121. 217. 293; 1870, pp. 65. 205; 1872, p. 157; 1873, p. 187); A. VON SALLET, Nachfolger Alexander d. Gr. in Baktrien und Indien, 1883 (= ZfN. 1879, pp. 165. 271; 1880, p. 296; 1881, pp. 109. 279; 1882, p. 158; 1883, p. 156), For a list of previous works on the subject v. p. 79 (= ZfN. 1879, p. 283), and also PE. II, p. 172, note; P. GARDNER, Catalogue of Indian Coins in the British Museum: Greek and Scythic Kings of Bactria and India, 1886; G. BÜHLER, Kharosthī Inscriptions on Indo-Grecian Coins, WZKM. VIII, p. 193.
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(3) *Indo-Scythic* — E. DROUIN, Chronologie et Numismatique des Rois Indo-Scythes, 1888 (= Rev. Num. pp. 8. 185); A. CUNNINGHAM, Coins of the Indo-Scythians (i. e. Sakas and Kuṣanas), 1892 (= NChr. 1888, p. 199; 1889, p. 268; 1890, p. 103; 1892, pp. 40. 98); id., Coins of the Later Indo-Scythians, (i. e. Later Great Kuṣanas, Scytho-Sassanians, Little Kuṣanas, and Ephthalites or White Huns), 1894 (= NChr. 1893, pp. 93. 166. 184; 1894, p. 243), Résumé by V. A. SMITH, JBA. 1894, p. 179; E. DROUIN, Monnaies des Grands Kouchans (i. e. the Scytho-Sassanians of C.) Rev. Num. 1896, p. 154.
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(4) *Native States* — E. THOMAS, Ancient Indian Weights, 1874 (= International Numismata Orientalia I, Part 1); A. CUNNINGHAM, Coins of Ancient India, 1891; id., Coins of Mediaeval India, 1894; BHAGVĀNLĀL INDRAJĪ, Coins of the Western Kṣatrapas (ed. RAPSON), JRAS. 1890, p. 639; V. A. SMITH, Coinage of the Early or Imperial Gupta Dynasty of Northern India, JRAS. 1889, p. 1; id., Observations on the Gupta Coinage, JRAS. 1893, p. 77; id., History and Coinage of the Gupta Period, JBA. 1894, p. 164.
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(5) *Southern India* — W. ELLIOT, Coins of Southern India, 1886 (= International Numismata Orientalia III, Part 2).
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(6) *Ceylon* — T. W. RHYS DAVIDS, Ancient Coins and Measures of Ceylon, 1877 (= International Numismata Orientalia I, Part 6).