Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c10.11.1

c10.11.1

The troubles which Alexander’s officers left in charge of his Indian conquests had to encounter in maintaining their transitory hold on these regions did not allow them to issue coins in any number in the name of their master³. But a few interesting coins of Greek technique belonging to the latter half of the 4th century B.C. have been discovered, which, though all of them were not found in India, seem to have Indian association. Among them mention may be made first of the few unique silver decadrachms issued by Alexander himself from his Babylonian mint, which were distinctly of a commemorative character. The obverse shows an elephant with two riders followed by a warrior on a prancing horse, while the reverse contains the standing figure of Alexander shown as the god Zeus. The obverse device has been explained by numismatists as the artist's version of Alexander's battle with Porus, the Macedonian emperor on horseback attacking with his lance Porus riding on the elephant, while a second person, the driver of the elephant, turns to throw a javelin at the pursuer. The reverse depicts Alexander dressed in a Macedonian cloak with a composite helmet on his head, his right hand holding a thunderbolt and his left a spear ; Nike is shown in the top left field, about to place a wreath on his head.