Catalog
Æ Unit
| Issuer | Shibi Janapada |
|---|---|
| Year | 201 BC - 101 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 5.14 g |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicting a stylized tree, rendered in the punch-marked tradition with schematic branches. The tree motif is enclosed within a circular border, surrounded by a Brahmi legend reading 'Sibi Janapadasa' distributed around the field. The design is characteristic of the punch-marked coinage of the Sibi tribal republic, with irregular flan shape typical of cast copper units of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Brahmi |
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| Additional information |
The Shibi were a janapada — one of the pre-Mauryan and post-Mauryan tribal republics of the northwestern subcontinent — whose coinage survives in frustratingly small numbers and remains poorly understood in terms of precise chronology. Attribution to the Shibi is made primarily through punch-mark symbols associated with this group, cross-referenced against findspot concentrations in the region around modern Jhang in Punjab.
Punch-marked copper at this weight standard suggests local rather than interregional exchange — the Shibi issues never achieved the circulation reach of the silver series from more powerful janapadas.