Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c24.s2: § 81. Coins of the W. Kṣatrapas

Indische Paläographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c24.s2

Language: German

§ 81. Coins of the W. Kṣatrapas

c24.s2.1

— The silver coins both of Nahapāna and of Caṣṭana and his successors are copied from the hemidrachms of the Greek princes of the Panjāb — more particularly, perhaps, from those of Apollodotus Philopator (C.CMI. p. 3) and seem to follow the same weight-standard (the Persian, v. sup. § 8: hemi-drachm 43.2 grains or 2,8 grms.). Traces of this origin are to be seen in the fragmentary inscr. in Greek characters, which still continued to be repeated as a sort of ornament on the *obv.* of the satrap coins after its significance was lost.

c24.s2.2

For attempts to explain these Greek letters as significant v. Th.JRAS. 1850, p. 52; Bh., id. 1890, pp. 643. 648; PE. II, p. 88.

c24.s2.3

The coins of Caṣṭana, like those of Nahapāna, bear inscrr. in Nāgarī and Kharoṣṭhī characters: on all subsequent coins Nāgarī inscrr. only are found. The coinage throughout this period is chiefly of silver, but specimens in billon and copper are also known (e. g. C.CMI. Pl. I, 7--12).