Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar

Lectures on ancient indian numismatics (illustrated) Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar

First published in 1921, this excellent work by Professor Bhandarkar investigates the origins of Indian coinage. By carefully analyzing the ancient literary sources (vedic, Itihasa and sanskrit), the author comes to define many words related to the monetary sphere (rati, mashaka, niska, suvarna, purana, satamana, krishnala, karsha, pana, karshapana, ...). In this way the most remote monetary and weight systems are reconstructed, and then their evolution is followed up to the Kushan period. The links of Indian coinage with those of other states (Rome, Greece and Bactria) are also considered.