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Tetradrachm - Kaniska Imitative Type Bihar
| Issuer | Kushan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 200-400 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | ACR#1202 |
| Obverse description | Crude, heavily worn effigy of the king standing facing, rendered in a debased imitative style characteristic of Bihar region provincial issues. The royal figure is depicted in frontal stance with arms extended, wearing what appears to be a triangular or tent-like garment or base below the torso, the die work being markedly barbarous in execution. The field is plain and the flan is irregular, with the design showing significant loss of fine detail due to the crudeness of the prototype imitation. The coin is heavily patinated with green corrosion obscuring much of the original surface. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Crude depiction of a deity standing facing in the field, rendered in a highly stylized and barbarous manner consistent with late imitative provincial coinage of the Bihar type. The figure retains the general posture of the Kushan divine prototype, with schematic limbs and a simplified body form. A possible attribute or symbol is discernible at the center of the figure, though detail is largely lost to patination and the debased die work. The flan is irregular and the surface is heavily encrusted with green patina throughout. |
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| Additional information |
The "imitative" designation here is doing real work. These pieces were struck in the Bihar region by local authorities copying Kushan prototypes well after centralized Kushan control over the eastern territories had fragmented — a monetary response to political vacuum rather than official policy. The copper fabric and weight standard diverge measurably from metropolitan Kushan issues, suggesting independent local mint practice rather than provincial administration.