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11/2 Karshapan - Taxila
| Issuer | Taxila, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 185 BC - 168 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 4 mm |
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| Obverse description | Irregular square hammered copper flan displaying a stylized elephant in relief, depicted in profile facing left, rendered in the bold, summary artistic idiom characteristic of Indo-Greek period Taxilan coinage. The animal's body, legs, and trunk are conveyed through broad, flowing strokes with minimal surface detail, consistent with the die-cutting conventions of the local mint. The field is flat and unadorned, with no legend or inscription present. Heavy green patination covers the entire surface, attesting to prolonged burial or circulation. The flan edges are irregular and show the characteristic trimming marks of hand-cut copper blanks. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain, irregular |
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| Additional information |
Taxila occupied a strategic node on the northwestern routes connecting the subcontinent to Bactria and beyond, and its civic coinage reflects a period of genuine political turbulence — the city passed through Mauryan decline, Indo-Greek pressure from the northwest, and local republican administration within roughly a single generation. The 1½ karshapana denomination itself is unusual; most punch-marked and cast traditions in the region defaulted to full or half units, making fractional multiples a marker of specific local commercial need rather than imperial standardization.