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Tetradrachm - Vima Kadphises
| Issuer | Kushan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 113-127 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Full-length frontal effigy of King Vima Kadphises standing in royal attire, wearing a heavy belted robe and tall headdress, sacrificing at a small altar to the left; the king holds a trident-like sceptre in his right hand and raises his left. A divine flame or nimbate halo radiates from the figure, emphasizing his sacred status. The circular legend in Greek script runs around the periphery of the field, identifying the ruler with his royal epithets. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Vima Kadphises consolidated Kushan control over northwestern India and was among the first Kushan rulers to issue coinage on a large, systematized scale. His copper tetradrachms circulated across a trade network stretching from Bactria into the Ganges plain, and the sheer volume of surviving examples reflects just how aggressively his administration monetized the economy. The type is exceptionally common in South Asian collections.
He was also the first Kushan king to introduce Shiva as a reverse deity on royal coinage, a theological and political statement that aligned the dynasty with Hindu traditions of the subcontinent rather than the Hellenistic and Iranian influences that dominated earlier Kushan issues.