Gunnar R. Dumke (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg)
A thorough analysis of the bilingual legends on the coins of the Indo-Greek kings from Hellenistic India reveals substantial differences between the engraving of the Greek and the Kharoṣṭhī letters. Based on this observation the engraving process of the coin dies is reconstructed, revealing at least three different steps with different personnel involved. These differences cannot be observed on the coins of Indo-Scythian kings, who follow the Indo-Greek rulers, which may hint towards workers with different cultural backgrounds being involved in this process.
The Indo-Greek kingdoms came into existence after the Graeco-Bactrian kings were repelled south of the Hindu Kush Mountains by an invasion of nomadic horse people of Scythian descent around the middle of the second century B.C.E. Another century later Indo-Greek rule in turn was overthrown by Indo-Scythian rulers coming from Bactria. Overall, sources from and about these kingdoms are not numerous; the only sources we have left in abundance are the various rulers’ silver and bronze coins. Although their significance is supported by scattered and isolated material evidence, nearly everything we know about these kingdoms—their social structure, their religious pantheon, and of course their economy—has to be deduced from these coins.
These coins show an intriguing design, with a portrait of the king on the obverse and a deity on the reverse, which follows the Hellenistic standard set by the successors of Alexander the Great. What is peculiar to Indo-Greek coins is that together with a Greek legend, naming the king with his epitheton (or even epitheta) on the obverse, a Prakrit (Indian) legend in Kharoṣṭhī is set on the reverse, representing an exact translation of the Greek. Additionally, Indo-Greek bronze coins keep the twofold legend but are minted on square flans, likewise unseen in the rest of the Hellenistic world and following Indian precedents.
My paper tries to reconstruct the procedure of engraving the coin dies by precisely observing the traces of the tools used for cutting the dies’ metal surface. Whereas on the obverse—for the Greek legend—traces of usages of a drill are clearly visible, the reverse legend—the Indian—misses these marks. Furthermore, dashes can be found on the reverse, signaling the start of the Indian legend. These dashes are no longer found on the Indo-Scythian coins, hinting towards a change in the personnel at the mint. Already on Indo-Greek coins the monograms, best understood as marks of a specific mint or workstation and usually consisting of pure Greek characters, are augmented with Kharoṣṭhī signs.
Therefore, the analysis of the possible applications of the two different scripts found on these coins and the meticulous observation of the tools used for preparing the coin dies allow us a deeper insight into the people working in an Indo-Greek mint during Hellenistic times.