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1/4 Dinar - Kanishka I
| Issuer | Kushan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 127-150 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/4 Dinar (5) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Full-length frontal effigy of King Kanishka I standing, depicted in elaborate Kushan royal regalia including a long coat, baggy trousers, and boots, with flames emanating from his shoulders as a divine attribute. The king extends his right hand over a sacrificial altar or fire altar at lower left, while his left hand holds a long spear or sceptre resting on the ground. A Bactrian legend in Greek-derived script encircles the royal figure, reading 'ÞAONANO ÞAO KANHÞKI KOÞANO' (King of Kings, Kanishka the Kushan). The style is characteristic of Kushan coinage, combining Hellenistic artistic conventions with Central Asian iconographic traditions. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ÞAO NANO ÞAO KANHÞKI KOÞANO |
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| Additional information |
Kanishka I expanded the Kushan Empire to its greatest territorial extent, pushing south into the Gangetic plain and maintaining trade routes that connected Rome to China. His reign marks the period when Kushan coinage absorbed the widest range of divine iconography — Zoroastrian, Hindu, and Buddhist deities appearing across the series almost simultaneously, reflecting a deliberate policy of religious pluralism rather than doctrinal commitment.
The quarter dinar fractional was a working denomination, not ceremonial. At roughly two grams of gold it facilitated the fine-end of commercial transactions along the Silk Road corridor through Bactria.