From Hindu Kush to Salt Range: Mauryan, Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian Coin Hoards, 9788194829409

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From Hindu Kush to Salt Range: Mauryan, Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian Coin Hoards

Osmund Bopearachchi (Author) Susmita Basu Majumdar (Author)

Synopsis

Contents: 1. General introduction/Osmund Bopearachchi. 2. Introduction to Punch marked coins in the Barikot Hoard/ Susmita Basu Majumdar. 3. Indo-Greek coins in the Barikot Hoard/Osmund Bopearachchi. 4. Charsadda Hoard/Osmund Bopearachchi. 5. Mingora Hoard/Osmund Bopearachchi. 6. Amb Sharif Hoard/Osmund Bopearachchi. 7. Some observation on die cutting techniques based on Eucratides I’s Coins/Osmund Bopearachchi. Bibliography.

Although new inscriptions have surfaced over the last twenty years, providing invaluable information on the chronology of the kings of Central Asia and North-West India and the important events associated with their reigns, the chronological sequence of many Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian kings is still uncertain. It is thanks to the coins that we know that forty-five Greek kings reigned in Bactria and India, although written sources mention only eight. Coins are crucial for understanding the role of these kings: their stylistic characteristics suggest broad chronological periods; the overstrikes of one king on the coins of another king indicate the succession of their reigns; and minting techniques, metrology, iconography and monograms associated with find-spots help to assess the geographical localization of different kingdoms. It is in this context that the composition of coin hoards provides new insights into the economic activities, modes of production and artistic tastes of the regions. Building on previous studies of coin hoards found in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the purpose of this volume is to examine four previously unpublished hoards. The analysis of the Barikot hoards, consisting of imperial silver punch marked and Indo-Greek coins, is a major contribution of this volume.

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About the authors

Osmund Bopearachchi

Osmund Bopearachchi is a numismatist, historian and archaeologist. He has authored twelve books, edited six books and published 162 research articles in reputed international journals. He has read 91 papers at international colloquia; presented 275 conferences in 80 cities, and has carried out 120 archaeological missions in 24 different countries. Going beyond the traditional approach of simply cataloguing coins, he has made an attempt to link numismatics with sculptural and pictorial iconography. These attempts made him more and more interested in diverse art forms in ancient India. The exhibition catalogues that he has edited and co-authored, the international colloquia that he has organised and published and the numerous research articles that he has written are the outcome of his deep-seated interest in Central Asian and South Asian archaeology, art and architecture. Prof. Bopearachchi holds a B.A. from the University of Kelaniya (Sri Lanka), and B.A. honors, (M.A.), M.Phil., Ph.D. all with first class passes from the Paris I-Sorbonne University, and a Higher Doctorate (Habilitation) from the Paris IV-Sorbonne University. Prof. Bopearachchi currently serves as the director of the Sri Lanka-French Archaeological Mission, and also has launched a joint project with the Department of Near-Eastern Studies of the University of California at Berkeley focusing on Sri Lanka’s role in ancient maritime trade in the Indian Ocean. He recently published a book on Gandhāran art entitled: “When West Met East: Gandhāran Art Revisted (Manohar, Delhi, 2020) based on a selection of hitherto unknown masterpieces from Gandhāra and Greater Gandhāra dispersed in museums and private collections in Japan, Europe, Canada and United States of America. At present he is working on a new catalogue of Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Coins.

Susmita Basu Majumdar

Susmita Basu Majumdar is an Indian historian, epigraphist and numismatist. She is a professor in the Department of Ancient Indian History at the University of Calcutta. With her nom-de-plume Adaa, she is a poet in the Hindi and Urdu languages, and a musician. Dr. Susmita Basu Majumdar, presently Head, Ancient History and Culture Department of Calcutta University.

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