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BI Drachm - Kanishka I
| Issuer | Kushan Empire (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 127-150 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Standing figure of King Kanishka I shown in full frontal military dress, depicted in the characteristic Kushan style with a long belted tunic and trousers; the king holds a trident or spear in his right hand and extends his left hand forward. Flames or divine emanations rise from the royal shoulders, a common iconographic convention in Kushan coinage to denote divine kingship. The surrounding Bactrian legend in Greek-derived script reads ÞAO NANO ÞAO KANHÞKI, translating as 'King of Kings, Kanishka.' The style is typical of the debased billon coinage of the Kushan period, struck on a small, irregular flan with bold but somewhat crude die-work. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Kanishka I's accession date remains one of the most debated problems in South Asian chronology — scholars have proposed dates ranging across nearly two centuries, with 127 CE now the most broadly accepted anchor. His reign saw the Kushan Empire at its administrative and territorial peak, controlling the Silk Road corridors linking Rome, Parthia, and China simultaneously. The billon composition reflects a deliberate debasement policy: earlier Kushan coinage ran to high gold, but Kanishka's mint introduced silver-copper alloys for smaller denominations to facilitate lower-value transactions across an increasingly monetized provincial economy.