Arrange the following in a chronological order:
(A) Punch-marked coins
(B) Coins issued by the Indo-Greeks
(C) Coins issued by the Kushanas
(D) Gold coins issued by the Gupta rulers
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B), (C), (D)
(A) Punch-marked coins — c. sixth century BCE onwards. Made of silver and copper, they were among the earliest coins to be minted and used in the subcontinent.
(B) Coins issued by the Indo-Greeks — c. second century BCE. The Indo-Greeks, who controlled the north-west, issued the first coins to bear the names and images of rulers.
(C) Coins issued by the Kushanas — c. first century CE. The Kushanas issued the first gold coins, close in weight to those of the Roman emperors and the Parthian rulers of Iran.
(D) Gold coins issued by the Gupta rulers — c. fourth century CE onwards. Some of the most spectacular gold coins were issued by the Gupta rulers, and the earliest issues are remarkable for their purity.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.4 Coins and kings … 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. Attempts made to identify the symbols on punchmarked coins with specific ruling dynasties, including the Mauryas, suggest that these were issued by kings. It is also likely that merchants, bankers and townspeople issued some of these coins. The first coins to bear the names and images of rulers were issued by the Indo-Greeks, who established control over the north-western part of the subcontinent c. second century BCE. The kushanas, however, issued the largest hoards of gold coins first gold coins c. first century CE. These were virtually identical in weight with those issued by contemporary Roman emperors and the Parthian rulers of Iran, and have been found from several sites in north India and Central Asia.… …Some of the most spectacular gold coins were issued by the Gupta rulers. The earliest issues are remarkable for their purity.…” |