Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c22.s6.3

v1.c22.s6.3

‘Pārthians continually expelling each other’, as reported in *Periplus*, alludes to the fight between the Pārthians and the Kuṣāṇas during the first century AD, over not only the seats of power but also the mines of copper, non-ferrous metals and gems. Eventually, Trajan of Rome vanquished the Pārthians, destroyed their silk route, and indirectly helped Kuṣāṇas who used to import gold through the friendly Romans. When Shapur II established the Sassanid (Persian) empire at Taxila, defeating the Kuṣāṇas in AD 350, he emulated the first century AD Pārthians (also from Persia) in re-introducing copper money (vide Table 14.1).