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1 1/2 Karshapan - Taxila
| Issuer | Taxila, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 100 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse of this irregular rectangular copper flan displays a quadruped animal, most likely a bull or elephant, depicted in profile moving to the right, rendered in low relief with characteristic bold outlines typical of Taxilan punch-marked coinage of the 2nd century BC. Secondary punch symbols are visible to the left of the main device in the field, as is customary for civic issues of the Taxila mint. The surface carries a heavy olive-brown and ochre patina with areas of mineral encrustation consistent with long-term archaeological deposition. |
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| Mint | Taxila |
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| Additional information |
Taxila occupied one of the ancient world's great crossroads — a city that passed through Achaemenid, Macedonian, Mauryan, and eventually Indo-Greek hands within the span of two centuries. This piece falls squarely in the period following Mauryan collapse, when local civic authorities reasserted control over coinage as centralized imperial minting broke down after Ashoka's death around 232 BC. The fractional karshapana system it belongs to descends directly from the punch-marked traditions of the Gandharan region, adapted into cast or die-struck civic issues as Greek monetary influence filtered eastward through Bactria.