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Æ Unit - Taxila
| Issuer | Taxila, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 185 BC - 160 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a solitary chaitya symbol — a three-arched hill motif — rendered prominently in the central field, appearing more clearly defined on this side than on the obverse. The symbol is a well-known religious and civic emblem associated with Buddhist and pre-Buddhist traditions of the Taxila region. The surrounding field is plain and unadorned, with no inscription or border legend. The flan edges are irregular, typical of hand-cast production methods employed at Taxila during this period. Heavy green patination covers much of the surface. |
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| Mint | Taxila |
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| Additional information |
Taxila sat at the crossroads of the Achaemenid, Mauryan, and Indo-Greek worlds, and by the time coins of this type were struck, the city had already cycled through several centuries of foreign administration without losing its commercial identity. These small civic issues emerged in the period following Mauryan collapse, when local authorities across the northwest reasserted minting privileges before Indo-Greek kings consolidated control of the region under rulers like Menander I.
The Mitchiner reference places this squarely in a transitional monetary moment — punch-marked imperial coinage giving way to die-struck civic types across the Punjab.