Hi. Any ideas as to which creature this punch on Mauryan PMCs might represent? G&H describes it as a rhinoceros (mark 320), which I find unconvincing because of the morphology of the creature depicted: in particular, the shape of the horn. Pieper (AICR) calls it a unicorn (nos. 92-94), which again seems a bit unconvincing given that they do not figure prominently in Indian mythology. Maurya Dynasty Karshapana, Gupta & Hardaker Series III, Type 322 (3.2 g, 19.5 mm)
I think a bovine is very likely, except I see two ears and a “horn” (which could well be two symmetrical horns that look like one viewed sideways). There is a separate, very clear punch for water buffalo, so I don’t think it is a possibility. Maybe someone who had never seen a rhinoceros was trying to draw one from a verbal description? But he got it so wrong, this seems unlikely. Agreed that the depictions on PMCs aren’t very detailed, but, looking at other animals, they do get the overall shape and proportions right. Given how old the coin is, a now extinct animal is another possibility.
I don't know what it is supposed to be, but it is surely not a rhino. The Indians know very well what rhinos look like because they have plenty of them in their country and could make realistic depictions of rhinos on their coins. This gold coin of Kumaragupta I (415-447) is a good example (not my coin, it's in the British Museum in London):
The shape of the animal, forgetting the 'horn' for a moment, looks like a donkey. I was wondering if the 'horn' is another part of the design that encroached on the donkey's space
I'm fairly sure that it is meant to be a rhinoceros. From a couple of centuries BC, well into medieval times, Arab Persian, Egyptian and Jewish merchants traded directly or indirectly with India, and one of the most lucrative products was rhino horn, from the African rhino, which was regarded both as an aphrodisiac and a medicine. There is an Asian or Indian rhino (as well as a Sumatran species), but these have practically no horn, just a hard triangular lump, or a small protuberance. So if you have never seen an African rhino, you won't know if its horn curves outwards or inwards, nor if it has big floppy ears or very tiny ones. So you have to use your imagination when you want to show a luxury item on your coin
My source of info on ancient trading with India (and further East): The Boundless Sea, a Human History of the Oceans , by David Abulafia, published by Penguin/Random House, 2019. Also contains lots of interesting info on coinage used in trading, e.g Roman coins found in Ceylon, Thailand, and even an embassy to China sent by Marcus Aurelius, Chinese, Javanese, Axumite (Ethiopian) etc. Highly recommended
The Indian rhinoceros is indigenous to the region of northern India where these coins were produced. Interestingly, the Indian rhino is known taxonomically as Rhinoceros unicornis. It can actually be a fairly substantial single horn.
This does happen in PMCs a lot, sometimes leading to visual confusion. In this instance, however, the “rhino” punch has been observed and documented across multiple specimens, so the “horn” is not an accidental overlap with another mark. Also, there is a separate distinct punch for a donkey/arsel
If it were a rhino, they would have had a good idea of the body proportions at least, as the Indian rhino’s range extended to the entire northern India at the time this coin was struck.
True/ even today they roam in Nepal. This is a more realistic version... Here is my 1974 Conservation Coin Series from Nepal AV 1000 Rupees 1974 Kingdom of Nepal
I love these punchmarked coins.... Here are a couple more "rhinos" GH327 and GH323 but here's a challenge on my 1st coin(sorry, meant to post it after the rhinos); if anyone has any ideas what this could be.? Is is a moose? I didn't know they had rhinos in India( since been educated!) but Elk? Similar to GH284? is as far as I got...Help and theoris much appreciated!
Perhaps a badly engraved bull/water buffalo. Alternatively a Gaur (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaur). Actually looks like a cross between an Indian pangolin and a bull!
