Catalog
1 Hemidrachm - Ashtat Nakhshab
| Issuer | Nakhshab (ancient) |
|---|---|
| Year | 50-225 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 13 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | [`shttw] (Translation: [Ashtat]) |
| Reverse description | Standing archer figure depicted in right profile, holding a strung bow; the pose closely follows the Hellenistic archer type derived from Seleucid prototypes. The central design is encircled by a distorted and degenerate Greek legend, reflecting the coin's origin as a local imitation of earlier Seleucid coinage. The overall style is characteristic of Central Asian provincial workshops, with irregular flan shape and variable strike quality. |
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| Additional information |
Nakhshab, located in the Kashkadarya Valley of modern Uzbekistan, was a semi-autonomous Sogdian city-state that continued striking its own coinage well into the period of Kushano-Sasanian regional dominance. The Ashtat type specifically derives from a local dynastic title rather than a personal name — "ashtat" functioning as a ruling designation among Nakhshabi lords who maintained administrative independence despite successive waves of outside political pressure.
Attribution of individual specimens remains genuinely difficult; die studies are ongoing and the scholarly literature is sparse outside of Russian-language Central Asian numismatic publications.