Coinage of the Maurya Empire (322 BCE - 185 BCE)

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Sallent, Sep 6, 2016.

  1. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    This is the last of my Indian shopping spree this weekend. I hope you enjoy this write up::happy:

    In the wake of Alexander the Great's conquests in India, many local kingdoms were destabilized and a power vacuum developed, which local warlord Chandragupta Maurya exploited to found India's first great empire, the Maurya Empire. This vast Empire brought much of what is today present day India and Pakistan into the control of a single central authority, with standardized rule, commerce, and coinage. So powerful was Chandragupta Maurya that he was able to conquer most of the easternmost satrapies left by Alexander, and even defeated the Seleucid Empire's army headed by Seleucus I Nicator in battle. Did I mention that Chandragupta Maurya did most of that by the time he was 20 years old? By the time we was 35 he was feared by the remnants of the Indo-Greek kingdoms and people as far west as Greece had heard of him. :eek:

    220px-Chandragupt_maurya_Birla_mandir_6_dec_2009_(31)_(cropped).jpg
    Chandragupta Maurya

    Although the exact details of the military engagements of Chandragupta Maurya against the Seleucid Empire are lost to history, it is known that Seleucus I Nicator suffered a disastrous defeat and had to surrender massive amounts of territory to the Maurya Empire.

    Alexander III Tetradrachm.jpg
    Tetradrachm issued under the rule of Seleucus I Nicator.

    Chandragupta_mauryan_empire_305_BC.png
    Maurya Empire during the lifetime of Chandragupta Maurya

    Chandragupta Maurya's successors went on to unify most of India under one system of laws, coinage, and commerce. In effect, the coin below was the first national currency of India.

    MAURYA Series VIb Silver punchmarked karshapana #1.jpeg MAURYA Series VIb Silver punchmarked karshapana #2.jpg

    Obverse Five official punches.
    (See image below for the official marks)
    Reverse One reverse mark (the so-called "Taxila" mark)
    Date c. 3rd-2nd century BCE
    Weight 3.31 gm.
    Dimensions 16 x 16 mm.
    Die axis n.a.
    Reference GH 574
    Comments: According to Gupta and Hardaker, the Series VIb coins date to c. 270-175 BCE, the time of the great Mauryan emperor Ashoka and his successors. Ashoka, of course, was the emperor who spread the word of the Buddha throughout his empire.

    Maurya_Empire,_c.250_BCE_2.png
    Maurya Empire at it's Maximum extent (Circa 250 BCE)

     
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  3. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    I tried to get interested in these but ran into two big problems. First, it seems that many coins are just hard to identify because of the way the marks overlap. Not all show five clear marks or even the two last ones that are needed to ID. Secondly, it seemed that 95% of the ones I saw offered were from the same few types certainly including the one here. I did enjoy trying to decipher the marks but it was frustrating to find so many the same rather like when we buy uncleaned Roman coins and discover all are two soldiers and falling horsemen.

    Below are three I thought were attractive. Look familiar?
    oi3110bb2609.jpg oi3120fd3281.jpg oi3180bb2628.jpg
     
  4. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Nice captures @Sallent ! You are building a great India collection.

    I have one from Ashoka...

    India Maurya ser VIB AR Karshapana punchmark 270-175 BC ASHOKA O-R.jpg
    India Maurya ser VIB AR Karshapana punchmark 270-175 BC ASHOKA

    And, I have a bronze representative for Seleukid as I have not begun to flesh out the Diadochis yet...

    Seleucid Seleucus I 312-280 BCE AE 20 Athena-Elephant Spaer 129 Obv-Rev.JPG
    Seleucid Seleucus I 312-280 BCE AE 20 Athena-Elephant Spaer 129 Obv-Rev.JPG
     
  5. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    I can see how it can get frustrating trying to build an entire collection of them, but if your goal is to have two or three nice examples then that shouldn't be much of an issue. That's as far as I intend to go with them, as there are enough ancient and medieval silver and gold Indian and East Asian coins for me to fill several books with without having to repeat the same coin types from each kingdom or empire.
     
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  6. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Isn't it amazing how coinage from an Indian empire can tie in nicely historically with an empire most of us would think of as Greek? It even ties in with Alexander the Great himself, which brings up the cool factor by a lot, as the Maurya Empire was the direct result of Alexander's conquests and military expeditions in this area. Had he not weakened the northern Indian kingdoms, there would have never been a Maurya Empire around to cause the Greek kingdoms so much trouble.
     
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  7. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Agreed. I have been looking for Chandragupta, but the waters are murky there. I knew about HIS histories before Ashoka due to the Indian interaction with Alexander and the Diodachi... The Battle of Hydaspes with Porus was a milestone. cool stuff.
     
  8. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    cool salent! nice to see some indian stuff!

    GH 574 is the only one i can ID on sight...

    [​IMG]

    i just wanted a few as well, i wanted one with the "foxy ladies" punch, this one also has s drum, and what appear to be a cat jumping over a turtle...i seriously think that what the last one is.

    [​IMG]


    this one has a punch i wanted as well, i call it "the hill chicken".

    [​IMG]
     
  9. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    This one interested me and I found one I tought was like it but turned out to be somewhat different. G&H lists six types wit the three people mark struck as a single mark and four others where the three bodies are struck separately using three punches that differ from one another. I believe ours is G&H 589 while mine, below, is 586. The easy sign is the combined punch shows two strands of flowing hair right of the right figure while the separate punch version will show separation between punches and three dots around the head of the right figure. Whichever way the three figures were applied, they count as three of the five marks. A note at the bottom of page 185 comments on the finding of additional reverse marks on some examples of these types. Yours has two additional as shown on his list of extras. Cool! My reverse is weak.
    oi3183bb2697.jpg
     
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  10. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Mine has that "Hill Chicken" too. I looked it up, and they call it a Peacock... I agree, I think it is a Hill Chicken... And I believe mine has TWO Hill Chickens....

    upload_2016-9-6_19-4-49.png
    Here is the seller's description (got this some time ago)
    Obverse Five official punches.
    (See image below for the official marks)
    Reverse One small official mark
    Date c. 270-175 BCE
    Weight 3.14 gm.
    Dimensions 15 x 12 mm.
    Die axis n.a.
    Reference GH 570
    Comments
    According to Gupta and Hardaker, the Series VIb coins are issues of the Mauryan empire at its peak. They date these coins to c. 270-175 BCE, the time of Ashoka and his successors. Ashoka, of course, was the emperor who spread the word of the Buddha throughout his empire. The Series VIb coins have a small official punch on the reverse, which repeats one of the punches on the obverse. This coin has a peacock on a three-arched hill as its reverse mark.



    Image of punches:
    [​IMG]
     
  11. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    INDIA, Pre-Mauryan. Magadha kingdom
    430-320 BC
    Sweet punchmarks on both sides


    India Pre Mauryan.jpg

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2016
    chrsmat71, Johndakerftw and Sallent like this.
  12. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    You mean that there was another kingdom somewhere between the Gandhara and the Maurya Empire that also produced silver coins? Oh , my poor wallet. :wacky:

    Thanks Stevex6. Now I know where to begin making my coin shopping list for next month.
     
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  13. FitzNigel

    FitzNigel Medievalist

    They are neat coins, and the interactions of the Greeks and Indians had spectacular ramifications for world history. I too enjoy putting these guys together:

    01-GR-Alexander III-AR-TET-01.jpg
    Kingdom of Macedon
    Alexander III (the Great), r. 336-323 B.C. (c. 325-315 B.C.)
    Pella Mint, AR Tetradrachm, 27.72mm x 17.2 grams
    Obv.: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin
    Rev.: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus Aëtophoros enthroned left, holding eagle and sceptre, ΣΙ in left field
    Ref.: (Price 236, Mueller 1397)
    Ex. @red_spork

    01-MA-Ashoka-AR-KA-01.jpg
    Mauryan Empire
    King Ashoka & Successors, 270-175/50 B.C.
    AR Karshapana, 16.2 x 12.61mm x 4 grams
    Obv.: five punchmarks, mark one: 468 (sun symbol); two: 392 (Six-Armed Symbol); three: 374 (arches); four: 15 (three circles and line); five: 142 (human)
    Rev.: One punchmark: 15 (three circles and line)
    Ref.: Gupta & Hardaker 566, Series VIb, type VI IV C 142.

    01-BA-Menander I-AR-DR-01.jpg
    Kingdom of Bactria
    Menander I r. c. 165/55-130 B.C.
    AR Drachm, 15.71mm x 2.5 grams
    Obv.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ / ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ. Diademed bust of the sovereign right, coat fastened on the right shoulder
    Rev.: (Maharajasa tratarasa / Menamdrasa). Athena Alkidemos standing left. Monogram 'H' in right field
    Ref.: Bopearachi, Ménandre (I) Sôter, 67
     
  14. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Buying Gupta Hardaker might turn out to be a cheap investment for you. After you see all the things there are and how many of them are very rare, you may decide this is not a specialty for you. I love to look at them but finding anything other than the few common ones in the book is almost as hard as finding the coins in the usual market sources. After listing 649 types, the book lists a few dozen coins that they think are different but could not identify from what shows on the coins.
     
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