Economy, Trade & Statecraft
Punch-marked coinage
c. 6th c. BCEIndian city-states / MahajanapadasNumismatic recordPan-Indian / unspecified
600 BCE
Among the world's earliest coins, stamped silver pieces used in trade.
- Dated
- 600–501 BCE
- As scholars put it
- c. 6th c. BCE
- Originator
- Indian city-states / Mahajanapadas
- Source text
- Numismatic record
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Economy, Trade & Statecraft
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- Medium
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Coinage arose around the same era in Lydia and China.
Fair to say
India was among the earliest, not necessarily the first, to mint coins.
Path to modern innovation
Coined money is fundamental to economies.
600 BCEPunch-marked coinage
321 BCETransmission
One of several independent early coinages.
References
- 1Numismatic histories of India
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-126 on GitHub.