Catalog
Drachm
| Issuer | Kota Kula, Principality of the |
|---|---|
| Year | 360-460 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The distinctive Kota dynastic symbol occupies the central field, flanked on either side by tall ceremonial standards or staffs, a composition characteristic of the coinage of this principality. The reverse design is enclosed within a dotted border visible on well-struck examples. The symbols are rendered in a schematic, abbreviated style typical of the late post-Kushan regional tradition. The Brahmi-derived Kota symbol serves as the principal identifying device of the issuing authority. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Kota Kula was a small Indo-Scythian successor principality operating in the Kabul valley region, issuing coins that largely imitated the broader Kushano-Sasanian and local Kidarite traditions circulating through the area. These copper fractions filled a practical gap in local commerce during a period when silver was scarce and the larger political powers — Kidarites giving way to Hephthalites — were in constant flux across the region. The Mitchell references place this squarely within the catalogued but poorly understood minor princelings of the Hindu Kush transition zone.