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Tetradrachm - Kanishka I
| Issuer | Kushan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 127-150 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Full-length frontal effigy of King Kanishka I standing, rendered in the characteristic Kushan artistic style, depicted wearing a long kaftan-style tunic, baggy trousers, and heavy boots. The king holds a spear or staff in his left hand and makes an offering gesture with his right hand over a small altar or flame at his feet. Flames or divine emanations are visible projecting from the royal shoulders, symbolizing the king's divine status. The Bactrian legend in Greek script encircles the field, reading ÞAO NANO ÞAO KANHÞKI KOÞANO, translating as 'King of Kings, Kanishka the Kushan.' |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ÞAO NANO ÞAO KANHÞKI KOÞANO |
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| Additional information |
Kanishka I's copper tetradrachms occupy an unusual place in Kushan monetary history — gold and silver dominated prestige coinage, and the copper issues were workhorses of local market exchange rather than instruments of imperial display. Kanishka's reign marks the period when the Kushan Empire reached its greatest territorial extent, stretching from the Tarim Basin into northern India, and the coinage reflects a deliberately syncretic religious program: Greek, Iranian, and Indic deities appear across the type series, a calculated acknowledgment of the empire's extraordinary ethnic and religious diversity.
Mitchell AC#3065 places this piece within a well-documented die sequence, though attribution of individual Kanishka issues can be complicated by the absence of regnal dates and the long overlap between his types and those of Huvishka.