Which coins were amongst the earliest to be minted and used in the Indian subcontinent?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Punch-marked coins made of silver and copper
Trade became easier with the introduction of coinage. Punch-marked coins made of silver and copper, from about the sixth century BCE, were amongst the earliest coins to be minted and used in the subcontinent. They have been found at many sites, and numismatists use them to trace old trade networks. The first coins to carry the names and images of rulers came later, issued by the Indo-Greeks, and the first gold coins were issued by the Kushanas in the first century CE.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.4 Coins and kings … To some extent, exchanges were facilitated by the introduction of coinage. Punch-marked coins made of silver and copper (c. sixth century BCE onwards) were amongst the earliest to be minted and used. These have been recovered from excavations at a number of sites throughout the subcontinent. Numismatists have studied these and other coins to reconstruct possible commercial networks.…” |