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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ancientnoob, post: 2722327, member: 44140&quot;]Two very interesting specimens and probably the least understood of coins of antiquity. Mitchiner in his 1979 publication Oriental Coins and Their Values Non Islamic States and Western Colonies AD 600-1979 describes these as coins of the Khmer Empire of Angkor. Little, if any research has been done on these coins since that time, most likely due to the challenges of archaeological exploration of the region in the modern era.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is literally the final frontier of numismatics. As stated before current scholarship is non existent on these. Some believe they are tokens or gambling pieces. Although Mitchiner makes the case that they fill the internal currency void that existed in the region after the fall of the Pyu city states in the opening years of the 9th century AD. The silver coinage which had flourished for centuries fell out of use with the demise of Funan and Pyu and the vast maritime economy came to an abrupt end. Thus replaced by a local circulation of these cast lead coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is virtually no historical record for the use of coinage at Angkor until the mid 16th century, and later with the arrival of Europeans in the 17th and 18th centuries.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]617007[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>(thanks Wikipedia for the map)</p><p><br /></p><p>Here I present two of the specimens.</p><p><br /></p><p>Top Coin:</p><p><br /></p><p>Cambodia, Angkor</p><p>Anonymous Civic Coinage</p><p>Pb Circular 5 Units (AD 802-1431)</p><p>36 mm x 17.31 grams</p><p>Obverse: Floral Lotus Pattern repeated 4 times around central hole</p><p>Reverse: Floral Lotus Pattern repeated 4 times around central hole</p><p>Ref: MNISWC (1979) 2654 (pictured), smaller uncatalogued denomination.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bottom Coin:</p><p>Cambodia, Angkor</p><p>Anonymous Civic Coinage</p><p>Pb 5-Lobed 6 Units (AD 802-1431)</p><p>37 mm x 23.06 grams</p><p>Obverse: Floral Lotus Pattern repeated 5 times around central hole.</p><p>Reverse: Floral Lotus Pattern repeated 5 times around central hole.</p><p>Ref: MNISWC (1979) 2654 (5 lobed denomination)</p><p><img src="https://s28.postimg.org/53rm9gtvx/Angkor.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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