Help to identify mystery ancient coin - Greek? Indo Greek? Brahmi script?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Sulla80, Nov 17, 2018.

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  1. Sulla80

    Sulla80 Well-Known Member

    I am hoping that someone in the CT forum can hel me identify the small coin on the right in the following two pictures. I've posted it with a picture of a silver drachm of the Western Kshatrapas because the script on the reverse looks similar to me. The coin appears to be silver, weigh's about 2.1g, about 12mm in diameter. Maybe some sort of greek triobol?

    IMG_0117 - Copy.jpg IMG_0118 - Copy.jpg
     
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  3. tenbobbit

    tenbobbit Well-Known Member

    Not my area at all, hopefully someone like @Finn235 will be along soon and will give you an answer straight away.
    My only suggestion would be to try the Gupta Dynasty if you have not already.
     
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  4. Finn235

    Finn235 Well-Known Member

    Thanks for thinking of me!

    Indeed Indian from the Gujarat area.

    First is Western Kshatrapas, Vijayasena, SE160 = 238 AD.
    http://coinindia.com/galleries-vijayasena.html
    You can usually tell his coins both by the easy to recognize name which looks about like ΔεωΝΙΝ, and because he was the only one who had celatores who could fit the whole legend on the reverse. Western Kshatrapas were the last holdout of the Scythian invaders, and fell to the Guptas in the late 400s.

    Second is a few centuries later; anonymous issue of the Maitraka dynasty, c.6th-8th century. They were originally a tributary state of the Guptas, but asserted their indepenfence when the Guptas broke up in the 550s. All of their coins cite the founder of their dynasty, Bhatarka.
     
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  5. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Screen Shot 2018-11-17 at 5.04.03 PM.jpg
    The Maitrakas established Valabhi as a great centre of Buddhist learning. Tradition has it that the Shvetambara Jaina canon was codified in Valabhi during this period.
     
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  6. Sulla80

    Sulla80 Well-Known Member

    Thanks Fin235 for the rapid answer - I'm amazed at the experts that are here on CT! At 2.1g is this a drachm of the Maitraka dynasty? and is the obverse showing a king's head with a dotted neckline?
     
  7. THCoins

    THCoins Well-Known Member

    Agree fully with Finn's expert attribution, but for a small detail. For a date of 160 in the Saka era there would be only two number symbols behind the head of the ruler for 100 and 60. But there is a clear third behind that for the year units and that's a 7. So i think the full date is 167SE= 245AD.
    The Western Satraps controlled the seaports used for Indo-Roman trading. It is quite likely that a large part of the Western Satrap drachms were made from Roman silver.
    The Maitraka of Vallabhi drachm shown in the startpost is an intermediate type. The one shown by Severus Alexander is from a later period.
    Below one from early in the Maitraka dynasty timeperiod. One may observe the clear similarity with the Gupta and Western Satrap type.

    TH8400w.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2018
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  8. Sulla80

    Sulla80 Well-Known Member

    Thanks THCoins - I wish the dates on these coins were always as clear (and on coin) as they are on the one above.

    What I am still trying to full see the obverse and understand the denomination on the Maitraka coin - are the dots the neckline of the kings bust? Your portrait coin seems very different to the Maitraka coin I have above. My coin is also much smaller and thicker 2.1g and 12-13mm compared with the Vijayasena drachm.

    For anyone else interests in coins of the Western Kshatraps, I am grateful to Pankaj Tandon for this excellent introductory guide which has allowed me to get reasonably comfortable reading the script on the coins - although I found the double strike on the obverse of my example above harder than most, and routinely struggle with the partial legends and being able to recognize the father and son's names.

    http://people.bu.edu/ptandon/WK-Legends.pdf
    upload_2018-11-18_6-9-48.png
     
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  9. THCoins

    THCoins Well-Known Member

    Yes the row of dots is the neckline of the bust with the king facing right. His face is off flan. The design and metal quality of these coins degenerated gradually over several centuries. Below one in time somewhere between yours and the one i showed earlier.
    C4Intermed.jpg
    There were more types which followed the Western Satrap prototype. It was more or less the Euro of its era. The next is a Traikutaka derivative. Also with the same basic setup; One side king en profil facing right. Other side dynastic symbol in the middle with text in Brahmi around.
    Tr1.jpg
     
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  10. Sulla80

    Sulla80 Well-Known Member

    Thanks TH - for info and the additional pictures!
     
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