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AR Oval - Gandhara Achaemenid rule
| Issuer | Gandhara Kingdom (Janapadas (pre-Mauryan)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 600 BC - 500 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Karshapana |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse entirely plain and uninscribed, presenting a flat, irregular cast surface with natural flow lines and granular texture consistent with a cast silver flan of this period. No punch marks, devices, symbols, or legends are present. The surface shows typical oxidation and patination associated with archaic Indian silver coinage. |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (600 BC - 500 BC) |
| Additional information |
These bent-bar pieces, sometimes called "shatamana" fractions, circulated in the Gandhara region during a period when the Achaemenid empire under Cyrus or Cambyses had either just absorbed or was actively pressuring the eastern satrapies. Gandhara appears in Darius I's Behistun inscription as a tribute-paying province, but these local silver issues predate or run parallel to that incorporation — evidence that indigenous exchange systems were functioning before Persian administrative coinage took hold.
The punched weight standard ties loosely to the Vedic shatamana unit.