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Yutian Kingdom: Gurgamoya (ca. 30-60 CE) AE 6 Zhu (Cribb 2)

Started by Quant.Geek, June 21, 2024, 09:29:13 AM

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Quant.Geek

It's been a while since I last posted a coin. Work has taken a heavy toll on my free time, but while I am waiting to board to head back to the states, figured why not post something interesting. Classified as the last enclave to use Kharosthi...

Yutian Kingdom: Gurgamoya (ca. 30-60 CE) AE 6 Zhu (Cribb 2)

Obv: Horse standing facing right; Kharosthi legend around - 𐨨𐨱𐨪𐨗 𐨩𐨁𐨟𐨁𐨪𐨗 𐨒𐨂𐨪𐨿𐨒𐨯 (maharaja yitiraja gurgasa)
Rev: Inscription in Seal Script - 六铢钱 (liù zhū qián)
Dim: 3.87g


A gallery of my coins can been seen at FORVM Ancient Coins

JMP

Hey Quant.Geek,

Very nice! Very interesting!
I saw the Kharosthi legend on your coin starts by ...tiraja Gurgasa and I sought on the www for specimens of this coin with complete legend. Could not find them!
But here is one with the space under the horse as good as clearly on flan. That is where starts the legend with: "Maharaja" (right to left):

Quant.Geek

I have been meaning to get one for a while now. The legend on Cribb-2 variations starts at 7:00 clock. Like most of these coins, finding complete legends are difficult:

2024-06-21_16-26-33.png


A gallery of my coins can been seen at FORVM Ancient Coins

JMP

At 7:00 clock indeed, as on the coin I found. The right picture is the same, but turned upsidedown to make the word "maharaja" legible.
7:00 o'clock seems kind of a strange starting spot though  :).
I 'll take a look if I can group the Chinese side in "liu zhu qian", because the modern hanzi for those words are very different of what the coin shows us.
As soon as you have your own species, please let us have a look of it.
These are the kind of coins one does not see often coming by on screen. A bit of history around would be welcome too.

JMP

After all, the Chinese side gave less difficulties than I thought it would.
There seems to be more tradition in those hanzi than a first sight lets suspect.
I think it is like this:
liù zhu qián
six zhu coin


JMP

In your second link, there is that interesting map of the Taklamakan desert and the Tarim river.
It is not possible to copy it, but searching the www for similar maps, I found one with Yutian on it in the south of the Taklamakan:

Figleaf

Here is the map from the .pdf. Source: SINO-KHAROSHTHI COINS OF KUCHA: A NEW DISCOVERY, by Joe Cribb et al. in Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society no. 239, 2020.
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

JMP

Yes! That's it. It gives such a clear view of the famous Taklamakan desert and the Tarim basin, where the "mummies of the Taklamakan" are found, the graves of the Tocharians. And the names of the star marked places around it seem to sound more familiar than the same on my map.
Thanks Peter.