Item number: A3528

Reference Number: Kamyshev #10

Year: AD 659-751

Material: Bronze

Size: 22.5 x 22.6 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 3.3 g

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

This coin appears to be a Kaiyuan tongbao imitation produced by the Sogdians in the region of Semirechye.

Its form broadly follows the traditional round coin with a square hole of the Chinese cultural sphere. However, although the inner frame is square, the perforation itself was chiselled to be nearly circular, a feature similar to other Kaiyuan tongbao imitations found in Semirechye. The obverse bears the inscription “Kaiyuan tongbao” in four characters, written in a hybrid style between clerical and seal script, read from top to bottom and right to left. The transition between the raised inscription and the recessed field lacks distinct angles, giving the characters a blurred, misted appearance. In several areas the field has fallen away, creating hollowed cavities resembling the later so-called “lotus root coins.” Unlike those deliberately designed issues, however, this effect is more plausibly the result of the thin fabric of the coin, which led to breakage in the field. The reverse is plain and uninscribed, with only faint traces of the rim.

The Sogdian city-states were mainly located in Transoxiana, in what is today southwestern Uzbekistan. In Tang sources they were collectively known as the “Nine Surnames of Zhaowu” or the “Nine Surnames of the Hu.” When travelling in the Chinese realm, Sogdians often adopted their city of origin as their surname. The most famous example is An Lushan, whose surname derived from the state of An. Despite the name “Nine Surnames,” the group did not consist of only nine polities, nor were they likely a single ethnic entity. Their origins may be traced back to the remnants of the Greater Yuezhi, who were driven westwards by the Xiongnu, and who gradually merged with Turkic and other peoples in the region. In AD 630, during the fourth year of the Zhenguan reign of Emperor Taizong, Tang generals Li Jing and Li Ji destroyed the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, thereby expanding Tang influence in Central Asia. During this period, the Sogdian polities began to present tribute. In AD 659, in the fourth year of the Xianqing reign of Emperor Gaozong, the Tang court destroyed the Western Turks and placed the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu under the suzerainty of the Anxi Protectorate.

The Sogdians, profiting from their geographical position and mercantile acumen, became key intermediaries along the Silk Road. They established communities in Chang’an, Luoyang, and other Chinese cities, and gradually secured roles within the Tang military and administrative systems.

North of Shiguo (modern Tashkent), one of the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu, lay the region of Semirechye (today southeastern Kazakhstan and eastern Kyrgyzstan). The name “Seven Rivers” referred to the seven principal rivers and their numerous tributaries flowing into Lake Balkhash. In the Sui period, the region belonged to the Western Turks. In AD 679, during the first year of the Tiaolu reign of Emperor Gaozong, the Tang general Wang Fangyi established the city of Suyab there. In AD 751, during the Battle of Talas, Tang forces suffered defeat and their influence in the region declined, eventually receding altogether. Thereafter, the area was ruled successively by the Turgesh and the Karluk khaganates.

Historically, Semirechye was an important section of the northern route of the Silk Road. Merchants could pass through the region en route to the Levant and even to Constantinople. In the mid-ninth century AD, the Karakhanid dynasty expanded into the area and initiated its gradual Islamisation. By that time, round coins with square holes had largely ceased to circulate.

物件編號: A3528

參考文獻編號: 卡梅舍夫 #10

年代: 公元 659-751 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 22.5 x 22.6 x 0.6 mm

重量: 3.3 g

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一枚應為七河地區的粟特人所仿鑄的開元通寶。

錢幣形制大致為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢，惟內廓雖為方形，穿鑿時卻鑿為近圓形，類似其他七河地區之開元通寶。錢面有錢文「開元通寶」四字，兼隸兼篆，由上至下由右至左對讀。錢文陽刻與地章之間沒有折角，使錢文如霧罩般模糊漫漶。地章多處簍空，型態類似稍晚的「藕根錢」，但不同於「藕根錢」的有意設計，應為錢體過薄所致地章脫落。錢背光素無文，輪廓隱起不明顯。

粟特城邦主要位於河中地區(今烏茲別克西南部)，於唐代時人稱為「昭武九姓」或「九姓胡」，其國人於漢境行走時常以國名為姓，著名者如安祿山，便以｢安國｣為姓。雖名「九姓」，但並非僅有九個政權，也大概並非單一民族組成。粟特人源流可能可以上溯至大月氏被匈奴擊滅後的殘部，於當地逐漸與突厥等民族相融。唐太宗貞觀四年(公元630年)，唐軍將領李靖、李勣攻滅東突厥汗國，唐廷對西域影響力漸增。貞觀年間諸城邦紛紛開始入貢。唐高宗顯慶四年(公元659年)，唐滅西突厥，羈縻昭武九姓，統歸安西大都護府管理。粟特人藉地利與商貿之便，往來於絲綢之路沿線，並於長安、洛陽等地建立社群，並逐漸於唐帝國的軍、政系統中取得一定地位。

以「昭武九姓」中的石國(今塔什干)為北界，北部便是七河地區(今哈薩克東南部與吉爾吉斯東部)。七河為流向巴爾喀什湖的七條主要河流與無數支流的統稱。隋代此地原為西突厥統屬。唐高宗調露元年(公元679年)，唐將王方翼在此地區設碎葉城。唐玄宗天寶十年(公元751年)，唐軍於怛羅斯戰役中戰敗，勢力逐漸退出七河地區。本地先後由突騎施汗國、葛邏祿汗國所領。於歷史上，七河地區為絲路北線的重要路段，商民可途經此地區，前往黎凡特等地，甚或前往君士坦丁堡(今伊斯坦堡)。公元九世紀中，喀喇汗國擴張至該地區，並逐漸伊斯蘭化。至此方孔圓錢大約難再通行。