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1/4 Karshapana - Sunga Kingdom
| Issuer | Shunga Empire (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 150 BC - 100 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Square (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Elephant walking to left occupies the upper register, rendered in low relief in the characteristic Shunga punch-marked style. Directly below the elephant, an Indradhvaja (a horizontal ceremonial standard or banner staff) is depicted lying flat across the field. A taurine symbol is positioned to the left, serving as an additional auspicious punch mark. The flan is irregular and square in form, with a coarse, pitted surface typical of cast copper coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (150 BC - 100 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Shunga dynasty came to power in 185 BC when Pushyamitra Shunga, a Brahmin general, assassinated the last Mauryan emperor Brihadratha during a military parade — an act that ended nearly 140 years of Mauryan rule. The copper punch-marked coinage that followed inherited Mauryan monetary conventions while the empire itself fragmented steadily under pressure from Bactrian Greek incursions from the northwest and the rising Satavahanas in the Deccan.
Mitchiner's AC#4378 attribution places this fractional unit within a series notorious for attribution difficulties, as multiple contemporary regional powers struck nearly identical punch-marked coppers.