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Potin unit - Kadambas of Banavasi
| Issuer | Kadamba Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 345-540 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | A stylized conch shell (shankha) depicted in low relief at center, rendered in a schematic geometric style characteristic of early Kadamba coinage. The shell is shown upright with its spire uppermost and the body tapering below, flanked by globular pellets arranged around the periphery of the flan. The design is contained within a beaded border, partially visible along the coin's irregular edge. The overall execution is bold but crude, consistent with the hammered potin coinage of the Banavasi Kadambas. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse is entirely blank and unadorned, presenting a plain, flat to slightly concave surface with no design elements, legends, or symbols. The flan shows natural surface irregularities and oxidation consistent with the potin alloy and age of the piece. This uninscribed reverse is typical of the early Kadamba potin series from Banavasi. |
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| Additional information |
The Kadambas of Banavasi founded what is generally regarded as the first indigenous dynasty to rule the region of present-day Karnataka, breaking from the administrative grip of the Pallavas and Satavahanas in the mid-fourth century. Their coinage in potin — an alloy of copper with varying lead and tin content — reflects both limited access to precious metals and a monetary system still finding its footing in a newly sovereign polity. The alloy composition shifts noticeably across the dynasty's two-century span, making metallurgical analysis a more reliable dating tool than typology alone.