Catalog
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| Issuer | Otrar oasis |
|---|---|
| Year | 701-801 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Smirnova#1580 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field features a stylized tamgha or dynastic emblem enclosed within a circular or square frame, a design characteristic of Sogdian-influenced coinage of the Otrar oasis during the 8th century. The symbol appears as a geometric device with angular elements, rendered in low relief on an irregularly shaped flan. The surrounding field is plain with no legible inscription or border decoration. The crude execution and worn surfaces are consistent with local hammered bronze coinage of this region and period. |
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| Mintage | ND (701-801) |
| Additional information |
The Otrar oasis — centered on the ancient city of Keder, later known as Otrar — functioned as a semi-autonomous commercial node along the Sogdian trade network during the 8th century, issuing its own bronze coinage at a time when Arab monetary influence was pressing steadily into Transoxiana. These local issues circulated alongside Umayyad and early Abbasid dirhams without displacing them, filling small-denomination gaps the silver economy left unaddressed. Smirnova's cataloguing of this type drew heavily on excavation finds from the oasis site itself.