Item number: A3539／A3540／A3541

Year: ca. AD 550-600

Material: Bronze

Size: 25.8 x 25.7 x 0.9 mm (A3539)／24.0 x 23.6 x 1.3 mm (A3540)／24.5 x 23.3 x 0.9 mm (A3541)

Weight: 2.9 g (A3539)／4.1 g (A3540)／3.95 g (A3541)

Manufactured by: Kapisa Mint

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

This is a copper drachm, probably minted in the latter half of the sixth century AD by the Hunnic ruler south of the Hindu Kush, Toramana II.

The obverse likely depicts the right-facing bust of Toramana II, wearing a crown adorned with a pair of bull’s horns, a characteristic emblem and ornament frequently associated with the Nezak Huns. The elongated skull may not merely represent an exaggerated artistic convention, but rather deliberate cranial deformation, a practice widely attested among Hunnic tribes. The ruler wears large pendant earrings set with pearls, as well as a beaded necklace, and his hair is braided on the left side. The remainder of the coin design is blurred; on the right the ruler appears to hold two stalks of plants, possibly cereals. In the upper right there are Gupta characters, some designating the issuer Toramana II, and others reading “exalted”, which may constitute an epithet or laudatory title. The reverse is concave and largely plain.

The origins of the Huns are the subject of much controversy, with divergent views identifying them as Mongolic, Turkic, Iranian, or Tungusic in origin. One possible source is the Hephthalites, an Iranian or Turkic tribal confederation, who rose to prominence during the great Hun migrations of the 4th to 6th centuries AD, establishing control over the regions once belonging to the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. The name Hephthalite first became known to the Chinese imperial court during the Northern Wei period, while Byzantine sources referred to them as the “White Huns.”

The Alchon Huns, who expanded south of the Hindu Kush, were also known as the “Red Huns.” Alongside the Nezak Huns, who emerged locally after the defeat of the Sasanian Empire, they have long been regarded as branches of the Hephthalite Empire, or at the very least as groups under its strong influence. In the early 6th century AD, the Alchon Huns expanded into central India, defeating the Gupta dynasty and ultimately bringing about its collapse, though they were later defeated by the Malwa Kingdom. Around AD 520, they clashed again with Malwa and the Later Guptas without decisive result, retreating after widespread plundering. By approximately AD 530, the Alchon Huns had withdrawn to Gandhāra and Kashmir, and in the latter half of the 6th century, under the leadership of Toramana II, they further retreated to the Kabul region, where they came into contact with the Nezak Huns, who had established their state in the area. Although the details remain obscure, it is likely that some form of coexistence was achieved.

The drachm originated in ancient Greece and, following the eastward campaigns of Alexander the Great, was disseminated by the successor states of the Hellenistic world. Initially struck in silver, the denomination was later adapted into copper issues by regimes in Central Asia and India.

物件編號: A3539／A3540／A3541

年代: 約公元 550-600 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 25.8 x 25.7 x 0.9 mm (A3539)／24.0 x 23.6 x 1.3 mm (A3540)／24.5 x 23.3 x 0.9 mm (A3541)

重量: 2.9 g (A3539)／4.1 g (A3540)／3.95 g (A3541)

製造地: 迦畢試(今阿富汗卡比薩省)

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一枚可能於公元六世紀後半，由興都庫什山脈南部的匈人政權領導者，頭羅曼二世，所鑄的銅德拉克馬。

錢幣正面應為頭羅曼二世之右側肖像，頭戴王冠，王冠兩側有一對牛角，為納札克匈人常見佩飾與符號。頭骨拉長，可能並非僅僅是經過誇張處理的圖樣設計，而是人工進行的顱骨變形，在匈人部落中十分常見。耳佩大型耳環，綴有珠飾，頸戴珠鏈。左側應為髮辮。其餘幣圖漫漶，右側多有右手持兩株植物莖葉，可能為穀物。右上多有笈多文幣文，有標示鑄主頭羅曼二世者，有「尊貴」字樣，可能為頌語或稱號者。背面為凹，大致光素。

匈人的起源中說紛紜，有蒙古、突厥、伊朗、通古斯等說的分歧。而起源可能為伊朗或突厥部落的嚈噠人，也在公元4-6世紀的匈人大遷徙中興起，據有希臘-巴克特里亞王國一帶。嚈噠之名在北魏時首次為中原政權所知，並在拜占廷文獻中被稱為「白匈人」。興都庫什山脈以南開始擴張的艾肯匈人，也被稱為「紅匈人」，與薩珊王朝被擊敗後本地崛起的納札克匈人，長期以來被認為是嚈噠帝國的分支，或至少是受了強烈的影響。艾肯匈人於公元六世紀初往印度中部擴張，擊敗笈多王朝，並最終導致笈多王朝崩潰，但最終被摩臘婆王國擊敗。約公元520年，與摩臘婆和後笈多王朝再戰，無果，沿途劫掠而還。約公元530年，艾肯匈人撤至犍陀羅與喀什米爾地區，約公元六世紀後半，在頭羅曼二世領導下，又撤至喀布爾地區，與在當地立國的納札克匈人接觸，過程不明，但應該是達成某種形式的共存。

德拉克馬源自古希臘，經亞歷山大大帝的向東擴張，由希臘化時代的諸繼業者王國傳播各地。初為銀幣，後於中亞、印度等政權衍生銅幣。