The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 27, July 2, 2006, Article 7

BOOK: COINS IN INDIA - POWER AND COMMUNICATION

"Coins in India : Power and Communication" is a new 116-page book
edited by Himanshu Prabha Ray. From the publisher's press release:
"This volume focuses on the socio-cultural connotations of coinage
in terms of power, authority, and rule legitimization, placing
numismatic studies in the context of cultural history.

Coins function as money, because the users share cultural parameters
regarding their value and acceptability. These cultural values form
a continuum and are reflected in adhering to traditional designs in
the old and new denominations, while at the same time introducing
changes and modifications. It is this continuum that marks India’s
coinage tradition of over 2,500 years, with inputs from Greek and
Islamic coinage systems. An important facet of the aesthetic of
Islamic kingship, for example, is evident from the silver coinage
of the Bengal Sultanate, which combined intricate interdependence
of religious expression, personal aggrandizement, and rule legitimacy.

Coins provide insights into political power and authority, while
archaeological excavations, hoards, and stupa deposits provide
contexts that place coin-finds within a larger cultural milieu.
The contributors to this volume discuss this tradition from several
disciplinary perspectives such as history, archaeology, economics,
and numismatic studies."

For more information:
E-mail - indiana@del1.vsnl.net.in
Website - www.indianajournals.com

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

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