LKCC - CHAPTER III - ANCIENT COINS

Single-Die Coins

Silver - The only coins known are in the cabinet of Mr. Bell, described by the present writer in the Ceylon Antiquary; Vol. I, pt. 3, p. 178. One is a rectangular piece, 11.9 x 5.3 x 2.8 mm in size and 1.68 grams in weight. "The design", only half of which is on the flan, "seems to be a solar emblem, consisting of a central ball or boss from which springs a cross-wise, four lines ending in similar balls; in each space so formed in a Taurine (CA, Pl X no 3). The reverse is blank, but possibly has one indentation"- on the rest " the design consists of a bull, or such animal, in the lower half of the area, and a (?) fish, from whose back spring long rays upwards and , backward in upper half : both objects face to the right and have before them three symbols , which appear to be (a) a crescent at the top, (b) the sun, and at the bottom (c) a Taurine. The die is all clearly circular"¹. Of the four known, two have the reverse blank, one has a few indentations. and the remaining piece one , if not two, punch marks,

#	Shape	Size mm	Weight gram
1.	Rectangular	9.9 x 9.4 x 1.8	1.58	Pl. 3
2.	Do.	10.4 x 8.4 x 1.8	1.60
3.	Do.	10.9 x 7.9 x 1.8	1.65
4.	(?) Circular	11.9 x 1.8	1.33	Pl. 4. (C.A.Pl.X, Nos.6-10)

A small silver coin in the same collection is clearly of the same series, but is double-die. The obverse is the same as the preceeding; the design on the reverse is, perhaps, similar to the solar emblem on the first described piece but it is much worm, The coin is very thin, and may once have been circular ; it is 8.4 mm in diameter 0.32 grams in weight. In all the above coins the design is deeply struck. The standard must be that of the Punch marks, the coin being halves, with the exception of the small piece just described, which may be the eighth.

7. Copper. -- These are oblong pieces, with rounded corners, concave on one side and rough on the other The design is now quite invisible. Pl. 5

#	Location	Symbol	Size mm	Weight gram
1.	Tirukketisvaram		15.7 x 13.0 x 3.8	4.85
2.	Do.		13.5 x 9.9 x 3.3	1.72
3.	Anuradapura,	Buddhist Rail	15.5 X 11.4 x 2.3	1.57
4.	Do.		15.7 x 12.4 x 1.5	1.40
5.	Do.	Selacaitya	14.0 x 12.7 x 1.5	1.07

A similar coin, but roughly circular and lenticular, was found at the north end of Vessagiriya, Anuradapura its diameter is 13.5 mm, and weight 1.93 grams. Alleged similar pieces unearthed at Kantarodai in the Jaffna peninsular are described by Mr. P. E. Pieris in his paper on " Nagadipa",in J.R.A.S., C.8., Vol, XXVIII, No. 72 of 1919. Pl. XII, Nos. 18, 19,21,22,26, Most seem to be the cores of Punch marks, but one (No, 18) is distinctly concave: its size is 15.7 by 10.9 mm, and its weight is 1.85 grams, At Tirukketisvaram was also found a flat rectangular piece with rounded corners. One side is apparently blank; on the other is what seems to be a fish with long projecting fins, with which design should be compared that of the silver coins described above. It weighs in its broken condition 1.89 grams, and measures 12.5 x 11.4 x 2.8 mm. From the same place come two circular coins, which may be noticed here. One is thick, flat on one side, the design on which is undecipherable, and convex and worn smooth on the other ; the second is, perhaps, blank on both sides. The diameter and weight are 14.5 and 8.4 mm, and 2.02 and 0.40 grams, respectively.

The single-die coins found at Anuradhapura have been described by Mr. Still in J.R.A.S., C.B., Vol XIX No. 58, 1907, pp. 200, 201. The deductions as to their age therein set forth cannot be maintained ; as, though they were discovered at the same site as the fourth and fifth century Roman coins, there is no evidence that they were actually found together,

8. The symbols appearing on the following coins are-

(1)	An isosceles triangle, base uppermost, with a short horizontal line crossing the apex and a short vertical line pendent there from.
(2)	Variant of the last, but the triangle is on its side ; in some instances a small vertical line projects from its side, either above or below
(3)	Nandipada symbol ; a trident head. with the side prongs curved and longer than the central one, over a circle, from which it is sometimes separated by a horizontal line,
(4)	Horizontal line, from each end of which rises a curved line, the two being back to back and. Crosses in the middle by another horizontal line. There is usually a similar line above the *hole, In s few instances this is doubled, the middle line being absent.
(5)	A truncated cone, inverted and crossed at the top, centre, and bottom by three bands, cf: Nasik -Nos. 13, 14 (Archaeological Survey of Western India, Vol. IV).
(6)	Two isosceles triangles placed vertically apex to apex with a bar across the junction ; the lower triangle is the smaller. From the left side of the upper there projects a short horizontal line. In .a variant the symbol assumes the shape of an hour glass with a projecting line on either side of the centre, cf Kuda, No.26(op, cit.).

1: For coins with circular die and rectangular flan, cf: C.C.A., Pl. X. 265 and 266 of Jayadaman, A.D, 124-150, and Pl V, GP5 of the Andhra dynasty.