New Varieties in the ‘bent- bar’ Coins of Tahir Suleman’s Collection, Taxila, Pakistan
Haq Nawaz
Lecturer, PhD Scholar Department of Archaeology, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan
Prof Dr. Abdur Rahman
Former Chairman, Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar
Prof Dr. Shakirullah
Chairman, Department of Archaeology, Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan
Abstract
Tahir Suleman is a businessman and private coins collector. He has a good number of punch- marked coins ranging from bent bars to the local Taxila coinage housed at Taxila. Most of the coins in this collection are in fine state of preservation. Among his collection, copper coins having different new symbols were found. These particular symbols suggest an important link to the regional historical context, showing that these coins were struck at Taxila, while also reflecting artistic and cultural influences of the Achaemenid Empire. The archer symbol on the ‘bent bar’ coins exhibits how local workmanship and more general imperial aesthetics interacted for mutual benefit. In addition to highlighting Taxila's historical significance as a centre of trade and culture, this blending of styles shows how the Achaemenids influenced regional coinage. By studying these coins, we may learn a great deal about the socio-political dynamics of the time and how local identities were influenced by outside forces while retaining their own regional identity.
Key words: ‘Bent bar’, Gandhāra, stylized archer, sigloi, Taxila, Thair Suleman’s collection, J. Allan, A. Cunningham, and Janapada.
