AE Hunnic Imitations
of Indo-Greek Drachms from the
c.4-6th
Century AD
(Oriental
Numismatic Society)
by Waleed Ziad
The Kashmir Shmast hoard continues to mystify us, pouring
forth a plethora of unpublished bronze varieties from the 5th to the
8th Centuries. The Kashmir
Shmast, or
While not delving deeper into the history and geography of the find spot, I wish to introduce two coin types, which stand out as numismatic-historical anomalies (refer to Plate I).
The Menander Imitations
1-15)
Obv. Crude Helmeted Bust of Menander right.
Degenerate legend surrounding bust.
Rev. Crude Figure of Pallas Athena standing, holding shield.
Degenerate legend surrounding bust. No control mark.
As we are aware, Menander was perhaps one of the most famous
of the IndoGreek kings, ruling from c.160-145 BC, during which time his coinage
across Gandhara and
The AE Menander imitations have only been found with Hunnic and Kidarite hoards in Swat[1], and it is safe to assume based on the fabric, metal, and the weight standard (from 0.56 to 1.62 grams) that these were issued by the Hunnic rulers of the area in approximately the 5th to 8th centuries AD. Coins from Kashmir Shmast, based on studies of Kashmir Shmast hoards conducted by Wil Pieper, Haroon Tareen, and the author, range from the KushanoSassanian period (Mitchiner 1266 and on, the KushanoSassanian coins of ‘The Kushans’ to Varahran KushanShah III, mid III century onwards) to the Hindu Shahi period, with smaller imitations of Samanta Deva bronzes conforming to a loose “Kashmir Shmast standard”. While the KushanoSassanian issues found in the hoards are common dumpy varieties, with the occasional dumpy fractional, after the Kidirite period, the fabric of the coins changes to thin, almost wafer like in some cases, bronzes of less than a 1 cm. in diameter, generally conforming to the published AE ¼ drachms issued by the Nazek, Alxon, Kidara, and TurkoHephthalite tribes. These Menander imitations conform to this fabric.
Alexander III, Antiochus I, Eucradites, Antimachos, Heliocles, and other Bactrian rulers’ currency has been imitated prolifically by the Sythian tribes, the Khwarizmian kingdoms, Sogdian tribes (including the Yueh Chi), and others, and the Hermaios tetradrachms were imitated to an even greater extent, including by Kujula Kadphises. However, generally, as is the case with Hermaios and Eucradites, we find a steady stream of gradually degenerating (both artistically and in terms of silver content) imitations commencing soon after the rulers’ death, or even during his reign in some cases. This find is unique in that we see an approximately 600 year gap between the prototypes and the imitation, with nothing in between. This might suggest that possibly Menander drachms remained in use even during the Hunnic period because of their high silver content and standardized weight, a very rare combination after the decline of the Kushan empire. In fact, the sparse mintage of silver coins by the Kushans, the Kidara, and the KushanoSassanians suggests that silver was a scarce metal in 3rd to 7th century Gandhara. In some cases, Menander’s drachms may have acted as a substitute silver currency.
It is impossible to attribute these coins to the decree of any ruler, who might have wanted to associate himself with the legendary ruler Menander. From the multitude of varieties found in the Kashmir Shmast hoard, and the variance within each die, it is most probably the case that Kashmir Shmast coins were minted by local moneyors who imitated popular coins at a whim, occasionally “barbarizing” the legends and control marks.
Consistently, none of the legends on the obverse or reverse make any sense. The legend originally in Kharoshti and Greek reading:
BASILEUS MEGALOS MENANDROU / Maharajasa Strataras Manadrasa
has been reduced to a series of ‘I’s, or dashes in more degenerate issues. The flans are very irregular tending more towards quadrilaterals than circles.
The weight of the Menander imitation is highly variable, ranging from 0.56 to 1.63 grams. The shape of the coins, as is the case with others founds in Kashmir Shmast, is crude, as is the execution. The flan thickness ranges from wafer thin to approaching the thickness of the prototypes, and the edges are very uneven. The smaller units are struck from smaller dies. Because of the crude execution of all the pieces, it is difficult to ascertain whether the two noticeably smaller coins (.56-.64 g) were minted as fractional currency or whether they are further degenerate versions of the larger varieties. For example, Kujula Kadphises AE units were imitated in smaller sizes with barbaric execution.
An Apollodotus II Mule
A rare bronze mule, of which only one piece was found in a Kashmir Shmast hoard of over 300 bronzes, is presented below.
16)
Obv. Bare bust of Apollodotus II (?) right wearing tiara.
Surrounding legend in corrupt Greek.
Rev. Winged Nike Standing left in Indo-Scythian style, holding wreath and palm.
Surrounding legend in corrupt Kharoshti.
The obverse of the mule seems stylistically to be derived from the drachms of Apollodotus II (c.80-55 BC). Traces of the word BASILEUS remain on the upper right hand side of the flan. The reverse is derived from the Indo-Scythian reverse found on coins of Maues (c.90-57 B.C.), Azes I (57- c.35 B.C.), and on numerous bronzes of the Indo-Parthian dynasty.
The difference in execution between the Menander imitations and the Apollodotus imitation is substantial. The coin, while crude, still maintains parts of the original legend in both languages. The reverse design is more three-dimensional and the figure of Nike has not been reduced to lines and dashes.
