The Gandhara janapada was located in north-western India, in an area stretching from Kabul in Afghanistan, through much of Pakistani and Indian Punjab. Its capital was the great city of Taxila, renowned for its size and its great university. Gandhara was listed as one of the sixteen mahajanapadas in the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya.

At some point in the sixth century BCE, Gandhara was conquered by the Persian emperor Darius, who refers to it as one of his satrapies in an inscription dated to c. 520 BCE. It was the richest of the twenty satrapies in Darius’s empire. The Achaemenid kings ruled Gandhara up until the time of Alexander.

The coins here are often attributed to the Achaemenids. Even if they were Achaemenid issues, it is highly probable, however, that the basic design of these coins dates back to the time of the independent Gandharan janapada. The reason is that they are completely unlike any coins that circulated in Persia, such as the running king type, obviously inspired by Greek coins. Indeed, the Gandharan coins form the strongest proof that coinage originated in India prior to the spread of Greek influence. For coins so radically different from the Greek-inspired Persian coinage to circulate in a satrapy of the Persian empire, it must have been the case that they already had a long history of commercial use in the area. The Persians must have discovered, as did the Greeks after them, that Indian merchants did not take easily to new styles of coinage; they liked to stick with tried and true designs with which they were familiar.

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Ancient ; Punch-Marked Coin, Gandhra Janapada (600-300 BC), Rare Silver Bentbar (Satamana), Rl

11,000.00 ANCT782/24

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

2,500.00 ANCT429/22

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

2,500.00 ANCT23/23

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

2,500.00 ANCT22/23

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

2,500.00 ANCT21/23

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

2,500.00 ANCT20/23

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

2,500.00 ANCT16/23

Ancient ; Punch-Marked Coin ; Gandhra Janapada (600-300 BC), Rare Silver Bentbar (Satamana) ; Rl Obv: 2 six petaled flower each end of the bar Rev: uniface ;

Ancient ; Punch Marked Coins ; Gandhara Janapada ;

Ancient ; Punch Marked Coins ; Gandhara Janapada ; (c.600-400 BC), Bentbar coin ; Silver Shatamana ; six armed symbols at each end of the bar on obv., wide flan. (Mitch 4075 Rajgor Series 34 type 542). Very Fine+ Rare early series with a very wide flan

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC ; 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark

Ancient ; Gandhara Janapada ; 6th Century BC 1/8 Shatamana ; Silver Punchmark