The Kuṣaṇas started their ruling under Kujula Kadphises in central asia and centre of power was Gandhara .
The Kuṣaṇas apparently introduced the very first anthropomorphic representations of Indian gods for their coins in Gandhara, even before an iconographical canon for these deities became standardised
2. Kushan Carnelian seal representing the "ΑΔϷΟ" (adsho Atar),
with triratana symbol left, and Kanishka's dynastic mark right
3. Kushana Empire
• In 176 BC, the Yuezhi were driven from Tarim
Besin to westward by the Xiongnu, a fierce
people of Magnolia.
• The Yuezhi under the leadership of the Kushana
came down from Central Asia and swept away all
earlier dynasties of the Northwest in a great
campaign of conquest.
• They established an empire which extended from
Central Asia right down to the eastern Gangetic
basin.
4. Originally, they were aryans and follow
Hinduism, but Emperor Kanishka become
Buddhist
Peshawar and Mathura were two capitals of
Kushana kingdom, now Kushana found in
majority near both places known as Gujjar
tribe and Kushana is a sub-tribe of Gujjars.
5. Early Kushana Coinage
• The Kuṣaṇas started their ruling under Kujula
Kadphises in central asia and centre of power was
Gandhara .
• The Kuṣaṇas apparently introduced the very first
anthropomorphic representations of Indian gods for
their coins in Gandhara, even before an iconographical
canon for these deities became standardised.
6. In the coinage of Kushan Empire the main
coins issued were gold, weighing 7.9g., and
base metal issues of various weights
between 12g and 1.5g.
Actually, Kushana got very high qty gold from
silk route through toll taxes .
Little silver coinage was issued, but in later
periods the gold used was debased with
silver.
7. • The coin designs usually broadly follow the
styles of the preceding Greco-Bactrian rulers in
using Hellenistic styles of image, with a deity on
one side and the king on the other.
• Kings may be shown as a profile head, a
standing figure, typically officiating at a fire
altar in Zoroastrian style, or mounted on a
horse.
• The artistry of the dies is generally lower than
the exceptionally high standards of the best
coins of Greco-Bactrian rulers.
8. Continuing influence from Roman coins can be
seen in designs of the late 1st and 2nd century
CE, and also in mint practices evidenced on the
coins, as well as a gradual reduction in the value
of the metal in base metal coins, so that they
become virtual tokens.
Iranian influence, especially in the royal figures
and the pantheon of deities used, is even
stronger.
Under Kanishka the royal title of "King of kings"
changed from the Greek "ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ"
to the Persian form "ϷAONANOϷAO" (Shah of
Shahs).
9. • Much of what little information we have of
Kushan political history derives from coins.
• The language of inscriptions is typically
the Bactrian language, written in a script derived
from Greek.
• Many coins show the tamga symbols (see table)
as a kind of monogram for the ruler.
• There were several regional mints, and the
evidence from coins suggests that much of the
empire was semi-independent.
11. Gold coin of Kanishka I, with a depiction of the Buddha, with the legend
"Boddo" in Greek script;Ahin Posh
12. Kushan deities
• The Kushan religious pantheon is extremely varied,
as revealed by their coins and their seals, on which
more than 30 different gods appear, belonging to
the Hellenistic, the Iranian, and to a lesser extent the
Indian world.
• Greek deities, with Greek names are represented on
early coins. During Kanishka's reign, the language of
the coinage changes to Bactrian (though it remained
in Greek script for all kings).
• After Huvishka, only two divinities appear on the
coins: Ardoxsho and Oesho.
13. Representation of entities from Greek
mythology and Hellenistic syncretism
• Ηλιος (Helios), Ηφαηστος (Hephaistos),
Σαληνη (Selene), Ανημος (Anemos).
• Further, the coins of Huvishka also portray the
demi-god erakilo Heracles, and the Egyptian
god sarapo Sarapis.
17. • Οηϸο (oesho), long considered to represent
Indic Shiva, but more recently identified
as Avestan Vayu conflated with Shiva.
• Two copper coins of Huvishka bear a 'Ganesa'
legend, but instead of depicting the
typical theriomorphic figure of Ganesha, have
a figure of an archer holding a full-length bow
with string inwards and an arrow.
• This is typically a depiction of Rudra, but in
the case of these two coins is generally
assumed to represent Shiva.
26. MacDowell (1968) identified three regional copper
issues of Kajula Kadphises and Vima Taktu of
separate coinage in their first issue, which would
correspond to the three previous realms making
up the Kushan empire.
The northern area, Bactria which had the largest
sized coins of 12g (tetradrachms) and
1.5g, Gandhara whose coinage weighed 9-10g for
large and 2g for small, and the Indian area, where
coins are 4g each.
27. Bronze coin of Vima Takto. Corrupted
Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΩΝ
ΣΩΤΗΡ [ΓΗΕ.]: "The King of Kings,
Saviour"
29. MacDowell (1960) proposed a gradual reduction
of all three issues starting with Huvishka, while
Chattopadhyay (1967) proposes a rapid
devaluation of the issue by Kanishka.
It seems that there were two reductions based
on the coinage of the rulers just named. Later
issues were unified into a central coinage
system of weights.
30. Vima Kadphises issued three
denominations of for this metal, a two
of 15.75 grammes, a one of
7.8 grammes and a quarter dinar piece
of 1.95 grammes
32. Thanks
“The motive of this this presentation is, to attract good scholers to discuss and research on
the great contribution of Kushana of Yuezhi/Gurjar Tribes.”
-Adesh Katariya