INDIA, Kushan Empire. Kanishka I, circa 127/8-152. Dinar (Gold, 21 mm, 8.00 g, 12 h), main mint in Kapisha (Begram?). BACIΛЄYC BACIΛЄωN KANHÞKOY ('King of Kings, Kanishka' in Greek) Kanishka I standing front, head to left, sacrificing with his right hand over altar and holding trident in his left.
Rev. HΛIOC ('Helios' in Greek) Helios, standing front, head to left and surrounded by halo, raising his right hand in blessing; to left, tamgha. ANS Kushan 378. Donum Burns -. Extremely rare. In exceptional condition for this highly interesting issue, with a wonderful rendering of Helios. A few nicks
, otherwise, extremely fine.
From the collection of Hendrik Hortz, religious studies scholar and journalist, ex Numismatica Genevensis 11, 18 November 2019, 7 and Triton XXI, 9 January 2018, 576.
The early Kushana adopted not only the Greek script from the Bactrians and Indo-Greeks but also developed a syncretic pantheon in which their native gods merged with those of the Greek conquerors. Our splendid and extremely rare dinar features on its reverse a figure with Indian characteristics, dressed in a light chiton, who is clearly identified as the Greek sun god Helios by the radiant halo and the Greek inscription HΛIOC. How much the Kushan population retained a Greek understanding of the gods is debatable - just as today, few believers fully grasp the religious symbolism of major scriptural religions, the common people of the Kushan Empire likely had little connection to the Mediterranean pantheon.
Nevertheless, the continued use of the Greek script and Greek deity names into the 2nd century CE - and, of course, the minting of gold staters and tetradrachms with depictions of kings and gods in general - attests to the centuries-long cultural influence of the originally Macedonian expansion of Western armies to the Indian subcontinent under Alexander and Seleukos I in the 4th century BC.
