This March 31, 2016 article from The Times of India discusses how punchmarked coins replaced the barter system in that country.
-Editor
Chennai: When the barter system lost credibility in ancient times, a uniform currency system came into being. But checking the weight and
purity of the metal used for this purpose required technical expertise. To overcome the problem, an authentication mark was stamped on the piece of
metal to promise that it had adequate purity and weight.
The next step was to decide the authority who could assign these guarantee marks on the metal piece. Eventually, the ruling king of the
concerned territory was given power to issue coined money.
Punch-marked coins are considered the earliest documented coins in India, according to P V Radhakrishnan, curator at RBI Monetary
Museum, Mumbai. "These coins are mostly made of silver, and bear various symbols, each of which is punched on the coin with a separate
'punch'. The date generally accepted for these coins is the beginning of the 6th century BC," he said, while speaking on
"Significance of the symbols on ancient Indian coins and un-inscribed coins of Tamil Nadu from 500 BC to AD 300," at the
department of ancient history and archaeology, University of Madras, on Wednesday.
The scholars who studied this series classified them into two groups, local and universal. "The local punch-marked coins generally
carry one, two or four symbols and were issued in different weight standard, fabric and execution, varying in different regions or
localities. These coins are ascribed to various small and large states (janapadas and mahajanapadas), many of which existed in India from
early times," he said.
The imperial punch-marked coins, according to Radhakrishnan, uniformly bore five symbols. These coins were issued first by the Magadha
dynasty when it was still a janapada. Gradually, Magadha extended its dominions by annexing neighbouring states and became a powerful
monarch. "By the time of Ashoka, the Magadhan empire had spread over most of the Indian subcontinent. Its coins also spread with the
empire's expansion and have been found in large numbers across the length and breadth of the Mauryan Empire, from Western Afghanistan
to today's Bangladesh, and from the Himalayan foothills to the Deccan. The silver punch-marked coins also travelled beyond the Mauryan
territory to the Chera, Chola and Pandya kingdoms of South India and to Sri Lanka due to the spread of Buddhism and extensive maritime
trade," he said.
To read the complete article, see:
How
Punch-Marked Coins Replaced Barter System
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/How-punch-marked-coins-replaced-barter-system/articleshow/51623892.cms)
Wayne Homren, Editor
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