Item number: A1422

Year: AD 270-300

Material: Gold

Size: 20.4 x 20.9 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 8.0 g

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024

This is a dinar gold coin minted between AD 270 and AD 300 by Vasudeva II, the king of the Kushan Empire, which once dominated Central Asia and northern India. After facing successive challenges from the Sassanian Empire, the Gupta Empire, and the Hephthalites, the Kushan Empire lingered on in the western Punjab region.

The obverse design of the coin features a typical Kushan-style motif that emerged from the 2nd century, reflecting a shift away from Hellenistic influences toward an embrace of Indo-Scythian culture. It depicts a crowned king, clad in armour, facing left. The king holds an offering in his right hand, which he is presenting to a sacrificial altar positioned at the lower left. His left hand grips a long spear, signifying authority and military power.

Above the altar is a trident symbol with fluttering ribbons, a common emblem in Kushan iconography. Along the far right edge of the coin is the Brahmi script inscription of the king’s name, “Vēsu” (likely referring to the Kushan ruler Vasudeva I).

The reverse side of the coin features the seated goddess Ardochsho, a symbol of prosperity and abundance in Kushan coinage. In her right hand, she holds a ribbon, while her left hand cradles a cornucopia, overflowing with fruits, representing the prosperity and fertility she bestows. This imagery reflects the Hellenistic influence that persisted in Central Asia following Alexander’s conquests, as seen in the classical depiction of deities associated with wealth.

Above the goddess’s left side is the Tamga symbol, representing the Kushan dynasty. The Tamga was a geometric emblem widely used by nomadic tribes to signify their identity, and it has become associated with the Kushan empire. To the right of the coin is the name of the goddess, Ardochsho, inscribed in Brahmi script, identifying her as the goddess of fortune and wealth.

The Kushan Empire’s origins can be traced back to the Yuezhi tribes of Dunhuang and the Qilian Mountains. During the Western Han period, the Yuezhi were pushed westward by the rising Xiongnu tribe from the Mongolian Plateau. This migration took them from the Ili River region to the Amu Darya area in Central Asia, where they became known as the “Great Yuezhi” nomadic confederation.

In the 1st century, Kujula Kadphises, one of the five chieftains of the Great Yuezhi settled in Bactria, defeated the other chieftains and began expanding his territory. Kujula Kadphises became the founder of the Kushan Empire, which emerged as a significant power contemporaneous with the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty.

物件編號: A1422

年代: 公元 270-300 年

材料: 黃金

尺寸: 20.4 x 20.9 x 1.0 mm

重量: 8.0 g

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

這是公元270至300年，曾一度稱霸中亞和北印度一帶的貴霜帝國，經歷薩珊王朝、笈多王朝和嚈噠等新興勢力輪番挑戰後，在西旁遮普地區苟延殘存的韋蘇提婆二世所鑄造的金第納爾。

錢幣正面的圖案是公元2世紀起，逐漸擺脫希臘化影響轉而擁抱印度-塞迦文化的典型貴霜樣式，即戴著王冠和身披戎裝面向左側的國王，右手捧著要奉獻給左下角祭壇的祭品，左手則握著一支長矛。祭壇上方還有一個帶著彩帶飄揚的三叉戟圖騰，錢幣最右側是波羅米文拼寫的國王名諱「韋蘇」。

錢幣背面是一名端坐的富饒女神「阿多赫索」右手拿著綬帶，左手則捧著象徵富饒的「豐裕之角」，從中亦能窺看自亞歷山大東征以降，希臘化文化對於中亞地區的深遠影響。女神左上方是象徵貴霜的「塔木加」圖騰，塔木加是盛行於遊牧民族用以識別部落的幾何符號。錢幣最右側以貴霜文標示神祇的名字「阿多赫索」。

貴霜帝國的前身能追溯自敦煌和祁連山的月氏部落，西漢時期受到蒙古高原興起的匈奴部落逼迫，逐漸遷移自伊犁河一帶又繼續往中亞的阿姆河移動，成為稱作「大月氏」的遊牧集團。公元1世紀，遷居於巴克特里亞地區的大月氏五大翕侯之一的丘就卻，打敗其他翕侯並且向外擴張領土，成為跟同時期的羅馬和漢朝相互鼎立的貴霜帝國奠基者。