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Tetradrachm - Huviska Kushana Imitative type
| Issuer | Kushan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 200-400 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 20 mm |
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| Obverse description | King Huvishka depicted riding an elephant in right profile, rendered in the characteristic flat relief of late Kushan imitative coinage. The royal figure is shown in profile, seated atop the elephant with legs extended, wearing regal Kushan attire. The flan is irregular and struck on a broad, thin planchet typical of post-Kushan copper issues. The field bears traces of the Bactrian legend around the periphery, reading ΦAO NANO ΦAO OOhÞKI KOÞANO, identifying the king. The overall style is degenerate relative to the prototype, consistent with provincial imitative production. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Bactrian |
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| Additional information |
The Kushana imitative tetradrachms occupy a curious position in the monetary record: they were not struck by the imperial administration but proliferated as the Kushan state fragmented under Sasanian pressure in the third century. Local authorities and petty rulers across Bactria and Gandhara reproduced Huvishka's coinage types with diminishing fidelity, the copper fabric reflecting both the collapse of centralized mint control and the exhaustion of gold and silver reserves that had once made Kushan coinage among the most prestigious in Central Asia.
Attribution to a specific issuing authority is rarely possible. The ACR reference groups these broadly by type rather than origin.