COINS OF THE KUSHAN EMPIRE

EXOTIC, OBSCURE, BEAUTIFUL, AND UNDER-APPRECIATED, Kushan coins are gaining increasing visibility in the ancients market. For centuries, international trade in silk and spices sent a stream of gold flowing through this kingdom, and much of that precious metal became high-value circulating coinage.

“Kushan” seems to be the family name of the dynasty, rather than the name of an ethnic group. The origin of the Kushans is debated, but many scholars believe they were related to a nomadic tribe known to the Chinese as the Yuezhi (or Yueh-chi). The heartland of their empire included the valleys of the Oxus (Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (Syr Darya) rivers, which flow from the Hindu Kush mountains to the Aral Sea in Central Asia. There were about 13 Kushan rulers; their chronology has only recently been untangled, some are only known because they issued coins that survive.

To read the complete article, see:
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series: Coins of the Kushan Empire (https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/coinweek-ancient-coin-series-coins-of-the-kushan-empire/)

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