Item number: A3605

Year: AD 650-675

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.1 x 23.6 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 2.9 g

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

This is a coin issued by the Ikhshid of Kang, Varkhuman.

The coin follows the traditional form of the Han cultural sphere—a round coin with a square central perforation. The obverse inscription, beginning from the blank space to the right of the central hole, is in Sogdian script: “𐼱𐽀𐼷𐼴𐼺𐼰𐼻 𐼺𐽄𐼸𐼰” (βrywm’n MLK’), interpreted as “Varkhuman Ikhshid” or “King Varkhuman.” On the reverse, to the left of the square hole appears a tamga, representing a local clan—possibly that of the Unash dynasty. It consists of a central circle or triangle from which curved lines extend outward, terminating in spirals. On the right side is the civic emblem of Samarkand, perhaps the city’s own insignia: a central circle surmounted by two short outward-curving lines, with a longer, hooked curve below.

The Sogdian city-states were mainly situated in Transoxiana, corresponding to present-day eastern Uzbekistan, north-western Tajikistan, and south-eastern Kazakhstan. In Tang sources, they were collectively known as the “Nine Surnames of Zhaowu” or the “Nine Hu Surnames.” When travelling in Chinese territory, their inhabitants often adopted the name of their polity as a surname—the most famous example being An Lushan, who derived his surname from the state of An. Although described as “nine surnames,” the number of these polities was not fixed, nor were the inhabitants ethnically homogeneous. The Sogdians may trace their origins to remnants of the Great Yuezhi after their defeat by the Xiongnu, gradually merging with Turkic and other peoples. 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 extending Tang influence into Central Asia. From the Zhenguan period onwards, the Sogdian city-states began sending tribute. In AD 659, the fourth year of the Xianqing reign of Emperor Gaozong, the Tang annihilated the Western Turkic Khaganate and placed the Zhaowu polities under the suzerainty of the Anxi Protectorate. Benefiting from their geographic location and mercantile tradition, the Sogdians travelled extensively along the Silk Road, establishing communities in Chang’an, Luoyang, and other centres, and gradually attained positions within the Tang Empire’s military and administrative systems.

Kang (also rendered as Kangju) was a polity in Central Asia recorded in ancient Chinese sources. Its territory roughly corresponded to the middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers in modern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. According to Han dynasty records, Kangju was a semi-nomadic, semi-sedentary polity located north of the Yuezhi and Wusun. Modern scholarship generally regards the Kang people as belonging to a group related to the Tocharians, Iranian-speakers, or the Sogdians, whose language and culture bore traits of the Eastern Iranian linguistic family. Kangju is thought to have risen between the first century BC and the third century AD, and was already mentioned when Zhang Qian travelled to the Western Regions as one of the significant Central Asian states. At its height, Kangju is said to have controlled territories including Sogdiana and Dayuan, exerting substantial regional influence. Its relations with neighbouring powers such as the Wusun, Yuezhi, and Qiangqu were complex—sometimes subordinate, sometimes allied, sometimes antagonistic. Subsequently, Kangju declined. According to Hou Hanshu and Weilüe, during the late third to early fourth centuries AD, the rise of the Yuezhi, Kushans, and Hephthalites overshadowed Kangju, which was likely absorbed into new tribal formations. During the Sui and Tang periods, Chinese sources referred to Kangju as the “State of Kang.” At that time, Kang held the foremost position among the “Nine Surnames of Zhaowu,” and when submitting to the Turks or the Tang dynasty, other Sogdian polities tended to follow its lead.

Shishpir, King of Kang and son-in-law of Dulu Khagan of the Western Turkic Khaganate, is said to have conquered Samarkand in the first half of the seventh century AD and established the Unash dynasty. King Varkhuman, who reigned circa AD 650–675, is identified in Arabic sources as belonging to the Ikhshid dynasty—the title Ikhshid itself meaning “king.” In excavated burials, however, the rulers describe themselves as of the Unash line, which may have maintained close connections with the Xiongnu. During the Yonghui reign of Emperor Gaozong (AD 650–655), following the Tang defeat of the Western Turks, the Tang court established the Kangju Commandery, appointing King Varkhuman as governor in a nominally subordinate capacity. From the late nineteenth century onwards, excavations at the Afrasiyab site in Samarkand have uncovered wall paintings depicting Varkhuman receiving envoys bearing silk gifts from the Tang court.

In AD 675, Sa‘id ibn ‘Uthman, governor of Khurasan under the Umayyad Caliphate, besieged Samarkand, bringing an end to the Unash dynasty. Owing to successive civil wars within the Umayyad state, Arab control over Central Asia remained unstable. Local regimes such as those of the Tokharians continued to exist, seeking to maintain autonomy by balancing alliances among Tang forces, the Turks, the Türgesh, and the Arabs. In AD 710, Qutayba ibn Muslim, Umayyad governor of Khurasan, again captured Samarkand, compelling the local Zoroastrians to convert to Islam, though his rule remained tenuous due to renewed civil strife. In AD 750, the rebellion led by Abu Muslim overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate and established the Abbasid Caliphate. Through a more inclusive religious policy, Islam took root in the region. In AD 751, during the tenth year of the Tianbao reign of Emperor Xuanzong, Tang forces suffered defeat at the Battle of Talas at the hands of the Abbasid–Tibetan–Karluk coalition, marking the decline of Tang influence in Central Asia. In AD 755, the An Lushan Rebellion erupted, severing Silk Road communication, collapsing frontier defences, and resulting in the Tang Empire’s complete loss of authority over the Western Regions. From this point onward, the lands of Transoxiana underwent gradual Islamisation.

物件編號: A3605

年代: 公元 650-675 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.1 x 23.6 x 0.6 mm

重量: 2.9 g

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一枚康國的伊赫什德，拂呼縵所鑄的錢幣。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢文自穿右空缺處起，為粟特文「𐼱𐽀𐼷𐼴𐼺𐼰𐼻 𐼺𐽄𐼸𐼰」(βrywm’n MLK’)，譯為「瓦爾乎曼伊赫什德」或「拂呼縵王」。

背面錢穿左側為代表當地氏族，可能即烏納什王朝的徽記(tamga)。為一中央的圓或三角，延伸出曲線，末端盤成渦卷狀。右側為撒馬爾罕地方徽記，可能是城徽。為一中央的圓，上方突出兩道向外彎的短曲線，下方為一較長帶勾的曲線。

粟特城邦主要位於河中地區(今烏茲別克東部、塔吉克西北部、哈薩克東南部等區域)，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。

康國(又稱康居)為中國古代文獻中記載的一個中亞政權，其地理位置大致落在今烏茲別克與塔吉克斯坦一帶的錫爾河—阿姆河中下游區域。根據漢籍史料，康居當時為月氏與烏孫以北的遊牧-定居混合型政體。根據當代學者的研究，康居被視為吐火羅人、伊朗語族或與粟特人相關的族群，其語言文化帶有東伊朗語系的特徵。康居興起之時代大致在公元前一世紀至三世紀，張騫出使西域時就曾被提及康居。作為西域諸國之一。康居的勢力在其鼎盛時期，據說控制了粟特、大宛(Dayuan)等地，並在中亞具有相當影響力。它與烏孫、月氏、羌渠等民族政權互動複雜，偶為附庸、有時結盟、有時抗衡。但此後康居逐漸衰落。據《後漢書》、《魏略》等史料，約在三世紀晚期至四世紀初，月氏、貴霜、嚈噠先後崛起，康居可能被吞併或融入新興部族體系。在隋唐時期，中國史書稱康居為康國。其時康國為昭武九姓之首，歸附突厥或唐朝時，諸國大都影從。

西突厥汗國達頭可汗的女婿，康國國王代失畢，約於公元七世紀前半葉征服撒馬爾罕，建烏納什王朝。拂呼縵王(Varkhuman，或譯為瓦爾乎曼)，約於公元650–675年間在位，阿拉伯史料稱其屬於伊赫什德王朝(Ikhshid)，伊赫什德即為王號，但於出土墓葬中自稱為烏納什王朝(Unash)，可能與匈奴有緊密連繫。唐高宗李治永徽年間(公元650-655)，在西突厥汗國被擊敗後，唐廷於康居國設康居都督府，任國王拂呼縵為都督，以作羈縻。十九世紀末起，撒馬爾罕的阿弗拉西亞布遺址陸續發掘，其中便有拂呼縵接受唐使所進絲綢的場景。

公元675年，伍麥亞王朝呼羅珊軍督賽義德·伊本·烏斯曼圍攻撒馬爾罕，烏納什王朝大約就此滅亡。在伍麥亞王朝數次內戰的背景下，對於中亞地區的控制均不穩固。撒馬爾罕當地仍有突昏等政權，透過爭取唐軍、突厥人、突騎施汗國、阿拉伯人的支援與制衡維繫自身存在。公元710年，伍麥亞王朝呼羅珊總督屈底波·本·穆斯林再次攻陷撒馬爾罕，強令當地祆教徒均改皈依伊斯蘭教。同樣因朝爭而未能穩定統治。公元750年，阿布·穆斯林起義，推翻伍麥亞王朝，建立阿拔斯王朝。通過一視同仁的宗教政策，伊斯蘭教深入當地。唐玄宗天寶十年(公元751年)，怛羅斯之役，唐軍敗於阿拔斯王朝、吐蕃與葛邏祿聯軍，唐帝國影響力衰減。天寶十四年(公元755年)，安史之亂爆發，絲路隔斷，邊防崩潰，唐帝國徹底喪失對西域的影響力，河中地區至此逐漸伊斯蘭化。