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Æ Unit - Nahapana
| Issuer | Western Satraps (Indo-Scythian Kingdom) |
|---|---|
| Year | 50-100 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Square (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Brahmi |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a railed tree (Bodhi tree or sacred tree within a railing), a common auspicious Buddhist and Hindu motif found on early Indian copper coinage. The tree rises centrally from a railed enclosure, its branches spreading symmetrically, rendered in a schematic style consistent with the broader tradition of punch-marked and early cast or hammered copper issues of northwestern India. Small circular or crescentic subsidiary symbols appear flanking the tree in the field. The overall design occupies most of the irregular square flan. |
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| Additional information |
Nahapana ruled the Western Satraps in the late 1st to early 2nd century AD and is among the best-documented rulers of the dynasty through both numismatic and literary sources — the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea names him directly, placing his territory along the northwestern Indian coast and inland trade routes. His reign ended badly: the Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satakarni defeated him and, according to the Nashik cave inscriptions, deliberately restruck enormous quantities of Nahapana's silver coins as a political act of erasure.
Copper units of this type circulated at the local level where silver didn't reach.