Papers by Gul R A H I M Khan
Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society , 2024
A find of 180 debased silver coins was made in the Jhelum area in Punjab, Pakistan. This article ... more A find of 180 debased silver coins was made in the Jhelum area in Punjab, Pakistan. This article identifies them as drammas with the legend śrimadādivarāha issued by King Bhoja I (c. 836 to 885 CE) of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. The find spot of the hoard is significant because it shows that his territory extended further to the northwest than was previously thought.
Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society, No. 251 , 2023
A large hoard of possibly 800 coins, of which
180 were gold, was found in Malakand District nea... more A large hoard of possibly 800 coins, of which
180 were gold, was found in Malakand District near
Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2011. A group of 40 gold coins
from it has formed the basis of a die-link study that has
significantly increased the number of known dies. This
paper is a detailed discussion of the types within the
hoard and how the obverse and reverse types relate to
each other. An illustrated catalogue of the 40 coins is
appended.
Ancient Pakistan, 2023
The Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar, carried out excavations as the fourth fiel... more The Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar, carried out excavations as the fourth field season in a row at the early historic period site in Hayatabad (Peshawar) in 2023. The recent field campaign successfully added further archaeological evidence to the establishment of smith workshops, which originated in the Indo-Greek period and continued down to the time of the Great Kushans. It was presumably a large urban centre like Sirkap (Taxila) (Marshall 1951) and Shaikhan Dheri (Charsadda) (Dani 1965-66) and remained in occupation for several hundred years. Unfortunately, the site is now mostly occupied by modern buildings, houses, railway line, road networks, and an industrial drain. The existing quarter of the mound was significantly utilised for a contemporary industrial zone when the site was actively inhabited for about four hundred years (second century BCE to second century CE).
Gandharan Studeis, Vol. 4, 2010
This articles deals with all copper coins of Vasudeva and his successors reported from the archae... more This articles deals with all copper coins of Vasudeva and his successors reported from the archaeological sites at Taxila. It also differentiate the life issues of Vasudeva and his imitations which has been a debated issue amongst the scholars.
Journal of Asian Civilization, 2018
The present paper deals with a new copper hoard reported from Badalpur Monastery at Taxila Valley... more The present paper deals with a new copper hoard reported from Badalpur Monastery at Taxila Valley in 2015. It unearthed from a corner cell during the excavations carried out by the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations (TIAC), Quaid-i-Azam Universitym, Islamabad. The main lot of this hoard belong to the Late Kushan Period which occurred in the mid of 3rd century AD. It comprises few coins of early periods like local issue and small imitations of Azes II, which might have been in circulation when the hoard was deposited
Ancient Pakistan, 2009
The National Museum of Pakistan possesses a good collection of copper coins of the Kushan period.... more The National Museum of Pakistan possesses a good collection of copper coins of the Kushan period. This collection contams ninety one coins of Kanishka I. Moreover, there are three gold coins of Kanishka in the same collection which are already published by the author along with other gold coins (Khan 2009). The copper coins of Kanishka are comparatively common and found in every public museum and private collection in Pakistan. These coins are usually known by their uniform design having standing fi gu re of king on the obverse and fi gu re of deity on the reverse. The early coins are inscribed with Greek legend and later with Bactrian. The legend is found on both sides; depicting name and title of the king on the obverse and name of deity on the reverse. The copper coins are known to have struck in three denominations i.e. large (tetradrachm, medium (didrachm) and small (drachm) units. These coins unanimously bear four-pronged tamga, modified version of Wima Kadphises tamga, on the reverse and on some examples it appears on the obverse too. The obverse of small coins also exhibit Kharo�\hi letter in the left field. Some pieces of small denominations bearing Kharo�\hi letters on obverse also show figure of king seated on a throne. Previous Classification of Kanishka Copper Coins The coins of this ruler, identified as Kanerki or Kanerkou, were first properly arranged in the form of a catalogue by Wilson. He placed them after the coins of Wima Kadphises (Wilson 1841: 357-373). In this arrangement the gold coins were organized first, followed by the copper, and the copper were classified as: 1. The good looking middle size coins depicting Greek legend BACIAEYC BACIAEWN KANHl>KOY (Basileos Basileon Kanishkou) on the obverse with two reverse varieties i.e. (a) Helios and (b) Nanaia. 2. Small coins with two reverse varieties (a) Nana and (b) Mao. 3. Large, medium and small coins depicting legend (Bactrian) I>AO KANHI>KI (shao Kanishki) on the obverse with seven reverse varieties i.e. (a) Nana, (b) Mao, (c) Miiro, (d) Athro (Athsho), (e) Okro (Oesho), (f) Oado and (g) Okama oao (Sakamao Boddou). Percy Gardner, in his catalogue of coins in the British Museum, generally followed the above scheme of classification but arranged Kanishka's coins in more elaborate sequence (Gardner 1886: 129-35, pis. XXVI VII). Accordingly the gold and copper coins are organized in four major groups and the deities are placed by their names in alphabetical order. The first two groups (gold and copper) are based on Greek legend and the later two (gold and copper) on Bactrian legend such as: Group 1. Gold coins: the obverse depicting standing figure of king and is inscribed with Greek legend BAOAEYC BAOAEWN KANHl>KOY and with a single reverse variety, (a) Salene. Group 2. Copper coins: as group 1, but with two reverse varieties, (a) Helios and (b) Nanaia. Group 3. Gold coins: the obverse is inscribed with Bactrian legend I>AONANO I>AO KANHl>KI KOI>ANO and it has eleven reverse varieties with standing figure of the king on the obverse and two reverse varieties with bust portrait of king on the obverse.
Ancient Pakistan, 2017
A hoard consisting of 180 gold and 65 silver coins along with two gold ornaments is recently repo... more A hoard consisting of 180 gold and 65 silver coins along with two gold ornaments is recently reported from Pir Abdul Rehman, an old village in Ahmedpur Sial Tehsil, district Jhang, Punjab (Pakistan). It is an interesting and valuable discovery made in this part of Punjab. It represents the coins of five dynasties of different origin. Most of these dynasties were contemporary while Late Kushans were earlier of them. In this respect, it helps to know about the sequence and chronology of various dynasties. The coins obviously indicate its deposition during the later decades of the 5th century CE.
Gandharan Studies, Vol. 9, 2015
The study of ancient seals has always been attracting scholars due to the presence of a large var... more The study of ancient seals has always been attracting scholars due to the presence of a large variety of designs, symbols, short legends and individual characters. The broad spectrum of this material help to know various aspects of the past like art, chronology, iconography, palaeography etc. The author found one of such seals of great significance which was published fifty years ago. The figures displayed on this seal have close similarity with those found on some gold coins of the Great Kushans (2 nd century). Mukherjee who published this seal put it in the chronological sequence of the two Kushan kings after its resemblance with the reverse design of some gold coins of Kanishka and Huvishka. The present author owes this opportunity to reinvestigate the said seal in the light of further numismatic evidences which were not duly consulted when it was first published. In view of some rare issues of Huvishka' copper the seal under discussion can be assigned to the period of this ruler (second half of the 2 nd century) of the Kushans.
Ancient Pakistan, 2018
A Late Kushan hoard containing gold and copper coins was found by a landowner in his fields at Ra... more A Late Kushan hoard containing gold and copper coins was found by a landowner in his fields at Ray Dheri (low mound), Charsadda. It was unearthed a few years back but was first shown to the authors in the summer 2017. This hoard contained 56 gold coins and a larger number of copper coins. The authors got the opportunity to examine a small portion of the hoard, i.e. a quarter of the gold and some of the copper coins. The gold coins are mostly imitations of Vasudeva I issued by the Kushano-Sasanian kings from Bactria and the copper coins belong to the reign of Kanishka II, the successor of Vasudeva I. It is very interesting to see that the gold and copper coins were of the same period. The latest contents of the hoard suggest that it was deposited in the mid-3rd century CE.
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Papers by Gul R A H I M Khan
180 were gold, was found in Malakand District near
Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2011. A group of 40 gold coins
from it has formed the basis of a die-link study that has
significantly increased the number of known dies. This
paper is a detailed discussion of the types within the
hoard and how the obverse and reverse types relate to
each other. An illustrated catalogue of the 40 coins is
appended.
180 were gold, was found in Malakand District near
Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2011. A group of 40 gold coins
from it has formed the basis of a die-link study that has
significantly increased the number of known dies. This
paper is a detailed discussion of the types within the
hoard and how the obverse and reverse types relate to
each other. An illustrated catalogue of the 40 coins is
appended.