Ustrushana

Here is a little rarity. I know I don't post a ton of new purchases, but rest assured I am buying regularly. I know I ramble on about Sogdian coins, and their scarceness. This coin, from the far eastern Sogdian city of Ustrushana, makes most of my other Sogdian pieces look downright common as sand.



If you ever run across an Ustrushana coin, (there are only a few types), you can tell by the Y shaped tamgha on the reverse. This one is attributed to King Rakhanch, 6th-7th century AD. After these were made, the Chinese invaded and the coins switched over to cash style coins, and continued until becoming Islamic.

Here is a link to one of the best websites of Sogdian coins, about coins of Ustrushana:

http://www.sogdcoins.narod.ru/english/ustrushana/coins.html

A couple of years ago I posted some antiquities I got from the area. This is only the second Ustrushana coin I have ever seen for sale, so of course I had to go for it. As you can see from the link, there are more coins from this region, all very rare, so I am guessing my hunt for the rest will last my lifetime. Good. That is what its all about, right? The hunt.

 

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it looks like the front facing bust of a kidarite king. Is this an indpendent ruler or were they making "Kidarite provincial coins?"

 

I understand how it looks like certain Kidarite issues. This was actually struck a few centuries after the Kidarite silver coins. However, Ustrushana was under Hepthalite control at the time, and maybe someone at the mint had some or had seen some Kidarite coins and were inspired by them. From what I read they are definitely attributed to Ustrushana, only being found there and discovered archeologically in 6-7th century strata.

 

Nice find! It looks like a small coin, right? 15mm or so? It's odd that the Sogdian page you linked to does not give any dimensions.

 

Sorry, its actually an AE20, so decent sized. To put in LRB terms, a small AE2.

 

Congrats.

I do gotta know, this coin will end up in a special place and not in one of hoard piles?

 

The hoard piles are my special place! It will go into one of my Central Asia boxes in the SDB, along with many many others.

 

Btw, here are a few antiquities I purchased from Ustrushana just to put them in one place.



Here is an Eastern Christian cross. The Eastern Christians were a distinct branch that mainly are extinct. China had a massive uprising against them, and adherents in Central Asia mainly got converted to Islam. The few remaining members joined the Nestorian church. This was found outside a famous Monastary in Ustrushana.



Here are a couple of pack horses made of lead. Such toys the children would play with, pretending to be one of the great traders crossing the Silk Road.



This is an example of a Huma bird. Why I bought this is because it ties Sogdian people with other Persians. The Huma bird is a mythologicial figure to all Aryan people. The Sogdians ethnically were Aryan, or Persian, just like the people of the Persian empire. They shared the same culture. The huma bird to this day is the symbol of AirIran.

 

Nice to see you posting some of your central asian treasures. I saw the opening post coin when it was for sale. Was tempting, but i still have to pay for my family holiday.
Glad you gave it asylum !

 

I made a deal with the seller. I combined this one and the high grade Camel/Fire Alter coin he had in a bundle price. I was very tempted at first as well, but not for the asking price. At a "modified" price I had to have it.

Fortunately/unfortunately I have actually been buying a lot lately. Since I just don't take photographs well the only coins I can post are those bought where the seller's photo is available. I will need to slow down soon, since I am considering going back for another graduate degree soon.

 

=> good luck in the schoolin' thing (old dog, new trick?)


... gawd, all I want to do is lay down and sleep!!

 

Wise to set priorities. Luckily i am not aiming at adding another degree, but wish you well in the effort ! (and i guess it can't be a PhD in Central Asian studies ?)

 

It actually is a PhD I am going for, but in Business Finance and Economics.

Btw, I actually found this exact coin, attributed to its former owner:

http://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=20210

 

awesome coin and artifacts med!

i don't have a sogdian coin (yet), but i do have this contemporary(ish) chach coin which is kind of an offshoot. smilar style: facing busts and prominent reverse symbol. it does have a sogdian legend on the reverse (i guess?).



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Chach was a part of Sogdia. I can't quite make out the type, but most of these coins have their legend on the reverse surrounding the tamgha.

For those not used to these coins, concentrate on the tamgha on the reverse. They are the easiest way to follow groups of coins issued by related family members. Any time the family in control would change, they would change the tamgha on the coins.

 

=> congrats on bettering yourself

 

hmmm? ... maybe I'll snag a sogdian coin, next?

 

oh, ok...i thought it was a related but independent kingdom. so was chach like a province of sogdia?

good news: i do have a sogdian coin!

 

Well, the entire area over time have different rulers, mini-kingdoms, etc. It was all very fluid. Best to just know Samarkand, Bukhara, Chach oasis, Ustrushana, South Sogdia, etc were all quasi independent city states that at times were ruled together, but at times ruled separately. However, their base population were all ancient Persian, with Huns, Chinese, Turks, Mongols, and other at times controlling them and merging into their society. Calling a coin a Chach coin in the sixth century is like calling a coin Antioch from the second century. Yes, the Antioch coin was struck under the Romans, but the coin is still distinctly a coin from Antioch, not Rome. Chach coins were always Sogdian coins, that was their ethnicity, but Chach may have been ruled by Samarkand, Huns, Turks, Mongols, or someone else at the time, but its still a Chach coin, (which by ethnicity also makes it Sogdian).

Make sense?

 

my cats name is mittens!

i hope stevex doesn't mind me using his pic.

actually, i think i understand. so like the way coins from ancient syracuse are "greek" coins, "greek" is more part of their cultural identity....though coins from syracuse have their own distinct place and style in the big picture of being "greek".