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BI Didrachm - Kanishka
| Issuer | Kushan Empire (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 127-152 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Didrachm (2) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Kharosthi |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The solar deity Helios shown standing facing, depicted in Hellenistic style with a radiate nimbus or halo emanating from his head, draped in a chlamys or short cloak, with his right arm raised in a gesture of benediction and his left hand holding a long staff or torch. The Greek legend ΗΛΙΟΣ appears in the right field within a beaded border. A Kharosthi monogram or tamgha is visible to the left in the field, serving as a mint or royal symbol. The reverse demonstrates the strong Hellenistic iconographic influence retained in Kushan coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Kanishka I's coinage is among the most linguistically peculiar in ancient numismatics — his early issues used a debased form of Greek script to write Bactrian language, a combination found almost nowhere else in the ancient world. By his reign, the gold dinar had become the prestige issue, making billon didrachms the workhorse of everyday commerce across a empire stretching from the Ganges plain to Sogdia.
The billon content itself reflects the cumulative debasement that accelerated through the Kushan dynasty's later rulers, a process Kanishka's own treasury appears to have begun in earnest.