THE ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT INDIAN COINS OF KUSANAS AND EARLY MEDIEVAL PERIOD USING PROTON INDUCED X-RAY EMISSION (PIXE) TECHNIQUE

Abstract

As part of the study of trace elemental analysis of ancient Indian coins, twenty-five coins belonging to medieval period (11th-14th century A.D) and fifty-nine coins belonging to Kusanas (78-250 A.D) from India have been analysed using Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique. The elements S , Ca , Fe , Cu , Ag , Sn , Pb were detected in 11th-14th century A.D. coins while elements namely S , Cl , K , Ca , Ti , Cr , Mn , Fe , Ni , Cu , As and Zn were detected in most of the Kusanas coins. Based on the elemental analysis different hypotheses put forward in the earlier literature were examined. The presence of Pb determined in medieval period coins does not rule out the utilization of local source of silver extracted from argentiferous galena instead of the Faranjal mines of Afghanistan as normally accepted. From the consistent concentration of Ag in these coins despite the change of Kingdoms it is confirmed that beside the rulers the commercial communities had a great influence in the currency of medieval period. This is the first attempt where reasonable number of ancient coins belonging to different periods were analysed by modern non destructive multi-elemental technique such as PIXE and has put the importance of the elemental analysis of ancient Indian coins in the proper perspective.