Catalog
Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Kota Kula, Principality of the |
|---|---|
| Year | 360-460 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 16 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field bearing the distinctive Kota Kula dynastic symbol, flanked by two Shaivite emblems: a spoked wheel (chakra) with four spokes positioned to the left and a trident (trishula) to the right. The devices are rendered in schematic, linear relief consistent with the provincial hammered coinage of the Indo-Sassanian tradition. The flan is irregular in form, and the field is plain without any surrounding legend or decorative border. The overall design reflects the religious and dynastic iconographic conventions of the Kota Kula principality. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Mitchiner's Ancient & Classical World places these issues within the broader coinage of the Indo-Greek successor states of Bactria, where local princelings struck debased imitations of Hellenistic tetradrachms long after the Greek kingdoms themselves had collapsed. By this period the denomination had lost almost all connection to its original weight standard — a bronze piece of 5 grams calling itself a tetradrachm is purely conventional, the name surviving the metal by centuries.