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THE COINS OF THE PᾹRATARᾹJAS PANKAJ TANDON, Boston University, 270 Bay State Rd., Room 526, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Email: [email protected]
ABSTRACT The Pāratarājas (Pārata kings) were the ruling dynasty of an almost forgotten tribe, originally from
northern Iran, which settled in what is now the state of Balochistan in western Pakistan (see map,
courtesy the Huntington Archive). They are mentioned occasionally in the literary sources but are
otherwise known only from one archaeological find and from their coins. These were first noted by
Rapson in 1905, and studied subsequently by Mukherjee and Senior, but it is only now that they are
fully understood. Coins are known of 11 kings, from which we can identify 15 individuals. Thirteen
of these bear Iranian names and two have Indian names. Coins are found mostly in Balochistan but
a small group was found as far as Sri Lanka, indicating a robust trade. They suggest a prosperous
kingdom that managed to survive in the borderlands between powerful neighbors: the Parthians,
Sasanians, Kushans and Kushano-Sasanians.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Falk, Harry: “The Names of the Pāratarājas Issuing Coins with Kharoshthi Legends,” The Numismatic Chronicle 167, 2007, pp. 171-178.
Konow, Sten: Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. II pt. I, pp 173-76.
Mukherjee, B.N.: The Pāradas: A Study in their Coinage and History, Calcutta: A. Mukherjee & Co.,
1972.
Rapson, E.J.: “Notes on Indian Coins and Seals,” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1905, pp. 789-
792.
Senior, R.C.: Indo-Scythian Coins and History, Vol. 4: Supplement, Additional Coins and Hoards,
Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., 2006.
Tandon, Pankaj : “New Light on the Pāratarājas,” The Numismatic Chronicle 166, 2006, pp. 173-209.
----------: “Further Light on the Pāratarājas,” The Numismatic Chronicle 169, 2009, pp. 137-171.
----------: “The Coins of the Pāratarājas: A Synthesis,” Supplement to the Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society 205 (Autumn 2010): A Seminar on the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Numismatic Society of India,” pp. 15-31.
----------: “The Location and Kings of Pāradān,” Studia Iranica, Volume 41, Issue 1, 2012, pp. 25-56.
Yolamira s/o Bagareva
(c. 130-150 CE)
Coin 1: AR drachm, 3.72 gm, 16 mm.
Yolamira’s earliest coin
Hemi- & quarter drachms also known
Coin 2: AR drachm, 3.56 gm, 16 mm.
Phase 2 of Yolamira’s coinage
Coin 3: AR drachm, 4.04 gm, 15 mm.
Phase 3 of Yolamira’s coinage
Note the retrograde legend
Bagamira s/o Yolamira
(c. 150 CE)
Coin 4: AR drachm, 3.66 gm, 15 mm.
Same obverse die as Coin 3
Bagamira’s only known coin type
(Photo, courtesy Anne van’t Haaff)
Arjuna s/o Yolamira
(c. 150-165 CE)
Coin 5: AR drachm, 4.46 gm, 16 mm.
Same obverse die as Coin 3 and 4
Hemidrachms using Yolamira’s die are
also known from this phase
Coin 6: AR drachm, 3.69 gm, 17 mm.
Phase 2 of Arjuna’s coinage
Coin 7: AR drachm, 3.55 gm, 17 mm.
Phase 3 of Arjuna’s coinage
Same obverse die as Coin 6
Hvaramira s/o Yolamira
(c. 165-175 CE)
Coin 8: AR drachm, 3.70 gm, 15 mm.
Phase 1 of Hvaramira’s coinage
Same obverse die as Coins 6 and 7
Coin 9: AR didrachm, 7.53 gm, 20 mm.
Phase 2 of Hvaramira’s coinage
included this double issue; the obverse
die must have been made for Yolamira:
compare the style with that of Coin 2.
Coin 10: AR drachm, 3.78 gm, 15 mm.
Phase 2 drachm
Coin 11: AR drachm, 3.64 gm, 15.5 mm.
Phase 3 of Hvaramira’s coinage
Mirahvara s/o Hvaramira
(c. 175-185 CE)
Coin 12: AR drachm, 4.13 gm, 15.5 mm.
Phase 1 of Mirahvara’s coinage
Same obverse die as Coin 11.
Coin 13: AR didrachm, 6.76 gm, 17 mm.
Phase 2 of Mirahvara’s coinage included
this didrachm, made with the same
obverse die as Coin 9
Coin 14: AR drachm, 3.08 gm, 15.5 mm.
Phase 2 drachm
Coin 15: AR drachm, 3.58 gm, 15 mm.
Phase 3 of Mirahvara’s coinage Same obverse die as Coin 14
Miratakhma s/o Hvaramira
(c. 185-200 CE)
Coin 16: AR drachm, 3.39 gm, 14 mm.
Phase 1 of Miratakhma’s coinage Same obverse die as Coins 14 and 15
Coin 17: AR drachm, 3.53 gm, 14 mm.
Phase 2 of Miratakhma’s coinage
Coin 18: AR drachm, 3.66 gm, 14 mm.
Phase 3 of Miratakhma’s coinage
Note the left-facing bust with tiara
Kozana s/o Bagavharna
(c. 200-220 CE)
Coin 19: AR hemidrachm, 1.67 gm, 13 mm.
Last coin known with Brāhmī legend
No drachm of this type is known
(Photo, courtesy R.C. Senior)
Coin 20: AR drachm, 3.47 gm, 15 mm.
First coin with Kharoshthī legend
Coin 21: AR didrachm, 5.05 gm, 17 mm.
Same obverse die as Coins 9 and 13
Coin 22: AR hemidrachm, 1.04 gm, 12 mm.
Kozana reduced the weight standard of his
coinage and imitated the last coins of
Miratakhma (Coin 18) featuring a left-facing
bust with tiara
Bhimarjuna s/o Yolatakhma
(c. 220-230 CE)
Coin 23: AR drachm, 2.56 gm, 16 mm.
Phase 1 of Bhimarjuna’s coinage was in
silver and very similar in style to the last
coins of Kozana (see Coin 22)
Coin 24: AE drachm, 2.09 gm, 15.5 mm.
But very quickly, Bhimarjuna’s coinage
turned to billon and then copper
Koziya s/o Kozana
(c. 230-270 CE)
Coin 25: AE drachm, 1.65 gm, 15 mm.
Coins show that Koziya did not succeed
his father Kozana, Bhimarjuna’s coinage
clearly intervenes.
Coin 26: AE drachm, 1.47 gm, 14 mm.
Koziya issued the most varied coinage
of any Pāratarāja king. His early coins
show him clean-shaven
Coin 27: AE drachm, 1.76 gm, 13 mm.
Note the Parthian style curls
Coin 28: AE drachm, 1.54 gm, 13 mm.
A later phase introduced a moustache
Coin 29: AE drachm, 1.28 gm, 13 mm.
The final phase shows the bust right
with a turban like head-dress
Coin 30: AE didrachm, 3.87 gm, 21 mm.
Koziya introduced a double weight
standing king type with an obverse
Brahmi legend that helped unlock the
reading of the Kharoshthī legends
Coin 31: AE didrachm, 4.66 gm, 18 mm.
The first standing king types showed the
king wearing a tiara (Coin 30); the last
ones showed him with a turban
Datarvharna s/o Datayola
(c. 270-285 CE)
Coin 32: AE didrachm, 4.13 gm, 19 mm.
Datayola s/o Datarvharna
(c. 285-300 CE)
Coin 33: AE didrachm, 3.40 gm, 17 mm.
CATALOGUE OF COINS
For more coins, see coinindia.com/galleries-parata-rajas A pdf of this poster is available on that page
TABLE OF LEGENDS Yolamira yolamirasa bagarevaputrasa paratarajasa Kozana (Brāhmī) kozanasa bagavharnaputrasa paratarajasa
Bagamira bagamirasa yolamiraputrasa paratarajasa Kozana (Kharoshthī) kozanasa bagavharnaputrasa paratarajasa
Arjuna arjunasa yolamiraputrasa paratarajasa Bhimarjuna bhimarjunasa yolatakhmaputrasa paratarajasa
Hvaramira hvaramirasa yolamiraputrasa paratarajasa Koziya (Kharoshthī) koziyasa kozanaputrasa paratarajasa
Mirahvara mirahvarasa hvaramiraputrasa paratarajasa Koziya (Brāhmī) koziya
Miratakhma miratakhmasa hvaramiraputrasa paratarajasa Datarvharna datarvharnasa datayolaputrasa paratarajasa
This column legends in Brāhmī, next column in Kharoshthī Datayola datayolasa datarvharnaputrasa paratarajasa
HISTORY c.650
BCE
Herodotus places the “Paraitakenoi”
as subject to the Medean king.
c.650
BCE
Strabo also says the “Paraitakai” are
from “above Babylonia.”
c.330
BCE
Arrian reports that Alexander
encountered the “Pareitakai” in
Bactria and Sogdiana.
187
BCE
Strabo says the “Paraitakenoi”
murdered Antiochus III Magnus.
c.25
BCE
Isidore of Charax identifies the area
beyond Sakastene as Paraitakene.
c.1st
Cent.
The Periplus locates “Paradon” on
the coast of modern Balochistan.
c.2nd
Cent.
Ptolemy identifies the interior of
Gedrosia as Paradene.
c.125
CE
The Hou Hanshu of Fan Ye says
that Arachosia had come to be called
Paizhi or Paite (Parata kingdom?).
262
CE
The Naqsh-i-Rustam inscription of
Shapur I names P’rtu as a Sasanian
province between Makran and Hind.
293-
302
The Paikuli inscription of Narseh
says the Paradanshah congratulated
him on his victory over Vaharan III.
? Mentioned in Indian sources as one
of the tribes west of the Indus.
FAMILY TREE
Note: The red lines with
question marks are
guesses; the other familial
relationships are revealed
by the coins.
Note: The red lines with
question marks are
guesses; the other familial
relationships are revealed
by the coins. The
numbered kings are ones
for whom coins are known.
• Several kings used the obverse dies of their
predecessors on their own coins (see Catalogue).
This helps establish the chronology of kings.
• The intended order of
words in the circular
legend is revealed by a
few coins where the
legend is presented in
four lines. Quarter drachm of Yolamira
• The language of the legends is Prakrit, the script
was first Brāhmī (c. 130-200) and then Kharoshthī.
• Some coins of Datayola have been found overstruck
on coins of the Kushano-Sasanian king Hormizd I.
• The Pārata economy may have been based on
exports of nard, bdellium and mercury.
