Item number: A1938

Year: AD 516-621

Material: Bronze

Size: 19.6 x 19.6 x 0.3 mm

Weight: 1.65 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a “Kucha Wu Zhu” coin minted by the ancient kingdom of Kucha, located on the northern edge of the Tarim Basin, during the period spanning the Wei-Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the early Tang Dynasty.

The coin’s design emulates the common square-holed coins of ancient China, though it is relatively smaller in size and has an irregular circumference. On the obverse side, the denomination “Wu Zhu” (五銖) is inscribed in seal script, with the character “五” positioned on the right and “銖” on the left.

On the reverse side of the coin, symbols are present along the upper and lower edges. A widely accepted interpretation suggests that these symbols are derived from the Brahmi script, which was prevalent among the Western Regions. The upper symbol, resembling an “O,” is believed to represent the numeral 50, while the lower symbol is an abbreviation of the Tocharian term Mura, meaning “money,” which was commonly used in the Kingdom of Kucha.

However, Li Shuhui, a scholar from Lanzhou University, proposes an alternative interpretation. He argues that the symbols on the reverse can be precisely correlated with the clan insignia used by the Kingdom of Hua (滑國), which was established in the Kucha region during the Northern Wei period by the Oghuz tribes who had fled Rouran rule and sought refuge under the Hephthalites in the Tarim Basin.

Kucha, located in present-day Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, had been a crucial hub along the trade routes connecting Eurasia since the Han envoy Zhang Qian’s expedition to the Western Regions. It also served as a major centre of Buddhist culture until its conquest by Muslim forces in the 11th century.

The earliest documented discovery of the Kucha Wu Zhu coin dates to AD 1928, when the Northwest Scientific Expedition, led by Huang Wenbi, conducted archaeological investigations in Kuqa and Bachu counties. With the increasing number of artifacts unearthed in recent years, scholars now believe that these Wu Zhu coins were not only offerings for Buddhist monasteries but also served as currency facilitating trade between Kucha and the Central Plains dynasties.

物件編號: A1938

年代: 公元 516-621 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 19.6 x 19.6 x 0.3 mm

重量: 1.65 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚魏晉南北朝至唐初之際，坐落於塔里木盆地北邊的西域古國龜茲鑄造之「龜茲五銖」。

錢幣形制仿效中國古代常見的方孔錢，其體型較為嬌小且圓周不甚整齊。錢幣正面的右側和左側，分別以漢字篆書鐫刻面額「五銖」兩字。

錢幣背面的上緣和下緣則有兩個符號，較為流通的解讀是盛行於西域諸國的婆羅米文，上方的「O」代表50，下方的符號則是龜茲國流通的吐火羅語對於「錢」(Mura) 的簡稱。不過服務於蘭州大學的學者李樹輝卻認為，背面的符號能確切對應到北魏年間，不甘受到柔然統治的烏古斯部落逃往嚈噠人控制的塔里木盆地，於龜茲一代建立的「滑國」使用的氏族記號。

龜茲即今日新疆阿克蘇一帶，西漢張騫出使西域以來就是銜接歐亞大陸的貿易必經之路，同時也是重要的佛教文化中心直到公元11世紀遭到穆斯林征服為止。關於龜茲五銖的發現，最早能上溯至公元1928年，黃文弼主持之西北科學考察團在庫車和巴楚縣的考古調查。隨著近年更多的文物出土，學界認為這些五銖錢不僅是當地用於供養佛寺的貢獻外，也是龜茲和中原王朝貿易依賴的錢幣。