The kings of Chach

Started by Figleaf, July 24, 2016, 03:49:55 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Figleaf

Forgive yourself if you have never heard of Chach. Wikipedia sums up what we know about it in one paragraph, not even about the kingdom, but about the city of Tashkent, once the place where the capital of Chach stood:

In pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, the town and the province were known as Chach. The Shahnameh of Ferdowsi also refers to the city as Chach. Later the town came to be known as Chachkand/Chashkand, meaning "Chach City".

The principality of Chach had a square citadel built around the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, some 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the Syr Darya River. By the 7th century AD, Chach had more than 30 towns and a network of over 50 canals, forming a trade center between the Sogdians and Turkic nomads. The Buddhist monk Xuánzàng 玄奘 (602/603? – 664 AD), who travelled from China to India through Central Asia, mentioned the name of the city as Zhěshí 赭時. The Chinese chronicles Suí shū 隋書 ("Book of Suí"), Běi shǐ 北史 ("History of Northern Dynasties") and Táng shū 唐書 ("Book of Táng"), mention a possession called Shí 石 or Zhěshí 赭時 with a capital of the same name since the fifth century AD [Bichurin, 1950. v. II].

In the early 8th century, the region was conquered by Muslim Arabs.


Chach, like many Greek colonies along the Black Sea, was nominally part of the Persian empire when Alexander the Great came along. However, like those Greek cities, they had a different culture, to the point of using a different script. They had more in common with some Scythian tribes on the steppes North of them. Though they were largely sedentary and not horsemen, they were also nature worshippers and, unlike the Macedonians and Greeks, they wore boots, trousers and shirts, but not the long mantles of Persian nobility - as can be seen on the coins of the Kushan. They saw the Macedonian occupation as an opportunity to throw out the Persians, but - unlike the Scythians - couldn't cope with the vast army commanded by Alexander. On Alexander's death, they regained their independence, building up wealth by trading with all their neighbours and deepening their own culture.

The Chach kingdom disappeared around 700. Little is known of the circumstances, except that the kingdom was conquered by Muslims. I am reminded of the kingdom of the western Xia, of which very little is known also. We know why. The conquering Mongols were so thorough in their destruction, burning, looting and especially killing that it looks like one of the first examples of genocide.

Coins are a major source of information on Chach. They are generally, but not always, smallish coppers, with a portrait and a Tamgha, which is thought to be a clan sign: the Asian variant of heraldry that would make it possible for military commanders to make some sense of an ongoing battle (unlike what Hollywood directors seem to think, uniforms are a pretty recent invention). We don't know (yet?) in which order the kings of Chach ruled. Neither the weight of the coins, nor their execution contain many clues. Some authors see Asian and European faces and presume racial conflict between them, because on some coins, the racial features seem exaggerated, but again, we don't know. Maybe when we know more about the succession, it will make more sense.

Sources on Chach coins are often centred on describing the legends. They are few, short and hard to read. It is not even clear which words are names and which are titles. All information below is subject to change pending further research.

I would like to thank Pellenore for supporting my research.

My main source of information is:

V. D. Shagalov and A. V. Kuznetsov, Каталог монет Чача / Catalogue of coins of Chach, ISBN 978-9943090163. SK numbers are from this book. I took the kings in the order they are presented in this book.

I also used:

B. Gharib, Sogdian dictionary ISBN 9645558069.
Christian Lassen, Points in the history of the Greek, and Indo-Scythian kings in Bactria, Cabul, and India, as illustrated by decyphering the ancients legends on their coins Bonn 1838, undated English translation.
National Bank of Uzbekistan, Catalogue of antique and medieval coins of central Asia, 3 volumes, Tashkent 1997, 2000 and the 2001 anniversary edition.
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

#1
SK 1-23 have a tamgha that looks a bit like a bird. I think my coin is SK 17. The name associated with this Tamgha is Wanwan. There is a circular legend around the Tamgha that is often incomplete. Some letters are written in mirror image. They are usually permutations of "Chach country ruler/sovereign Wanwan", with an occasional "victorious" added. SK believes the portrait is of a Turkic ruler. Weight vary from around 1.5 to 3.0 grams. My coin is 2.9 grams.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

The second group of coins have a tamgha that reminds me of an ornamental ax. The coin pictured is not mine; it is in the collection of the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU.) It illustrates how far our knowledge has advanced in the last two decades. A fragment of the legend is read as Dywurtu, which is presumably the name of the sovereign. His clothes are remarkable: a Persian style long kaftan. He rides a horse, which is unusual also and behind him is a moon. I think these details point to a steppe clan. The dating of the coin is uncertain, but earlier than the date suggested by the NBU. Other coins with this tamgha have a head, a legs crossed seated portrait, a two heads set of portraits and a riderless horse.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

The tamgha of the third group is much like that of the previous group, but it sports rounded corners, rather than angular lines. It reminds me of a vase. I would speculate that one of these tamghas is an attempt at showing legitimacy: another branch of the same clan has succeeded, whether by lack of successor or palace revolution. It needed to be different, but with a direct relation to the previous rulers. My coin is SK 96.

This group has portraits only. The face is exaggerated Asian, with slanted eyes, drawn with the inner corners down. The hair is long and straight, presumably black. The king wears a heavy (silver?) necklace, possibly a sign of military rank, such as in use among Mongol tribes. On other coins, the king wears ear rings shaped like a crescent with a dot inside ad a crown topped by crescent and dot. Obviously, the moon was an important symbol. Though it may be religious, it seems more likely to be secular.

The legend is interesting: this is a coin of Chach's ruler. The last word is tegin. While it may be a name, it is likely to be a title. If so, this group is anonymous, which would plead for rulers that are controversial but holding power in fact.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

The tamgha is the same, but the portrait is not. The hair is much longer, now flowing over the shoulders, the necklace is replaced by a large neckpiece (grivna) with a tapered rectangle in the centre. The face is still Asian, but I wonder if it is the same person and why the symbolism has changed.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

#5
Time for a new tamgha. This one looks like a ladder. If it is, it is highly significant. Mongols weren't great siege fighters and the ladder is the first siege tool. Then again, this face doesn't look Mongol. The hair style is remarkable: one massive, flat blob of short cut hair, almost ancient Egyptian in style. SK suggest that the hair style conforms to rock paintings at Balalyk-Tepe. If so, we may be dealing with a Buddhist king with strong Chinese influence. The crown with the moon-shaped central ornament is back. The name connected to this tamgha is Nirt.

The coin suggest nothing as much as resistance to Islam. Chach couldn't. It was too small, too rich and therefore not ruthless enough. Its best bet would have been an alliance with China or the Mongol tribes.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

Later (?) coins with this tamgha show a face with a small beard, more Chinese, showing off his short cut hair. However, these coins are lighter, suggesting hard times. A war, maybe?

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

The tamgha of group 5 looks like tree. It may have been a local issue, as finds are concentrated around Kanka and nearby Benaket, an important pair of settlement, second only to what is now Tashkent. The coins show a man and a woman, suggesting the marriage of a princess of Chach to an important ruling family of Kanka and a lack of male heirs. Relatively few variants are known. The name on the coins is Tun.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

As restricted as the circulation area of the last group was, as wide is the circulation are of the group with this tamgha. They are not only found all over the territory of Chach, but also in important walled cities that were centres of trade: Otrar (now in Iran), Samarkand and Khiva (both now in Uzbekistan) and Panjakent (now in Tajikistan). Such a wide distribution points to intensive trade and trust in the rulers of Chach outside their territory. Was this the golden age of Chach?

The ruler looks Asian. His mustache is surprising in the sense that none of the previous portraits had one. It doesn't look fashionable, yet it is cut so short one suspects European, rather than Asian facial hair growth. Are we looking at a happy solution of racial tension through intermarriage? He wears ear rings and a crown topped by a moon. The tamgha look like a stylised, angular version of the tree on previous types, suggesting once again a claim to legitimacy by a reference to a previous dynasty.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

The same tamgha, but now there is a big cat on the other side. The legend gives us the name Tarnavch.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

Still the same tamgha, but the face is now rounder and turned away, so we can see the crown sideways. It curves upward. These coins are lighter. Has wealth brought inflation as the ruler overspent on luxury goods?

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

The same tamgha again, but this coin is more talkative. A mainstream reading of the legend would be Tudun ruler ... Chach ... possesor of divine grace. The legend suggests that the king is seeking divine qualities. It is a common enough development. The ruler wants to extend his power over the priests and claims a special relationship with the gods. But why no portrait? Was it less important than the long legend?

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

The tamgha remind me of a trident, a war instrument. Coins with this tamgha are a bit different. They fit in the series, but they are too light and even less well struck than the others. Current thinking is that they were issued by a lower ruler within Chach. The problem with that theory is that in the small part of the legend that is readable is the title divine qaghan (according to Babyarov). That is not a title for a small ruler. It means Khan of Khans, an indication of a leader who has united several clans. It would in principle be higher than malik, the title the kings of Chach used on some of their coins, though the two titles come from different rank systems. It is comparable to high king or emperor.

These coins look to me as mainstream royal coins, but a war issue: coins struck in a hurry as prices shot up.

I don't have a coin with this tamgha. This coin picture is used here with permission of Mervin on Zeno.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

It is not even sure that this coin is from Chach. SK think so, Smirnova thinks not. The argument for making it a coin of Chach is the title qaghan. SK argue that At the close of VII AD and the beginning of VIII AD, the title qaghan lost its significance and was conferred on rulers of even small independent principalities, citing Rtveladze's Numismatic history of Chach (Tashkent 2006). However, centuries later, Genghis called himself Khan, using Khan of Khans only sparingly. The obverse shows a camel. Fine, but there are no other Chach coins with a camel and they do exist in other areas of Central Asia.

The tamgha is a square with bent sides. Is it a tamgha? There seems to be agreement, but it reminds me of Chinese, square holed cash coins, much imitated in Soghd, a state that borders on Chach. On Zeno, there is at least one coin that is an imitation of a Chinese cash coin, with the central hole outline, but filled in. I think Smirnova has a point assigning them to West Soghd, but that's my speculation only. I certainly do not claim more knowledge than these authors.

I don't have a coin with this tamgha. This coin picture is used here with permission of Mervin on Zeno.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Figleaf

Here is another tamgha combined with the title qaghan. To describe it as an anchor, as several authors do seems improbable to me. Chach was landlocked and anchors traditionally were a big stone in a bag on a rope. I wonder if this tamgha could be an elephant goad (which could also be used against enemy elephants and their riders), another instrument of war. SK note: G. Babayarov (...) has every reason to believe that based on mentioning the name tr∂y - "Tardu" in legend which he identified with yabgu Tardu (576-603), who was successor of one of founders of Turkic Qaganat Istemi yabgu (522-576). It is a fitting end of the series, as Chach fell at the hands of Turkic tribes.

I don't have a coin with this tamgha. This coin picture is used here with permission of Mervin on Zeno.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.