Kusana Coins and History

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From the Jacket

A scion of the Central Asia's nomadic tribe, KUSANAS descended upon the plains of northern India sometime around the first century after Christ. And gradually built a great vastly extensive empire in the Yomuno Gangetic region. But, owing to a marked deficiency of indigenous literary sources, Kusana history has continued to be the sport of conjecture. Or for the last 200 years or so an area of chroniclers debate involving scholars: both Indian and European.

A numismatist of international renown, Dr. P.L. Gupta examines myriad coins of the Kusanas, including some of the very recent finds, to convincingly resolve the chronological puzzles of these Indo-Scythian kings: from their very rise in mid-2nd century AD to their final extinction in circa 370 AD. Corroborating the conclusions of his lifetime research on coins, with inscriptional material, he elicits fresh evidence on various important aspects of Kusana history: ranging from span of their era to the domains of their political authority.

Barring the inclusion of two papers, written by Dr. Sarojini Kulashreshtha, this volume is an exquisite presentation of Dr. Gupta's writings on numismatics and related historical aspects. Now offered with highly representative visual material, extensive bibliographic references, and an elaborate introduction, these papers, when pieced together, evolve a stimulating framework for the scholars working on Kusana history.

About the Author

Dr. P.L. Gupta was a distinguished numismatist, with international recognition. And this besides an educationists, a social former, a journalist, a museologist, a litterateur, and a tireless researcher-all rolled into one: into his one versatile personality. Also an Honorary Fellow of Numismatic Society of India, Honorary Member of International Numismatic Commission, and Honorary Fellow of Royal Numismatic Society, London Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, and Asiatic Society of Bombay, he had chaired History/ Archaeology/ Fine Arts/ Numismatics sections of various national and international conferences.

He was a prolific writer too, credited with the authorship of over 30 books and 250 research papers on diverse themes from his several specialized disciplines. Among his other achievements, he was the recipient of many prestigious awards, including Huntington Medal, Lhotka Memorial Prize, Royal Numismatic society's Medal, and sir J. Sarkar Gold Medal.