Development of Greek Religious Iconography in Early Kushan Coinage: Adaptation, Integration and Transformation

Abstract

This paper addresses the process that led to the emergence of royal and religious imagery in Early Kushan coinage during the early 1st and 2nd century CE. The examination of the development of royal and religious motives, which is related to the Greco -Bactrian and Indo -Greeks, shows that they were integrated into the context of the oriental traditions of Bactria, while also engaging with Parthian, Indo -Parthian, and Indo- -Scythian coin designs. This phenomenon resulted in different numismatic practices that, though attempting to retain former traditions, crystallised in a range of novel features used to express its own identity. As far too little attention has been paid to this process of formation and transformation, this paper also aims to assess the scope of religious imagery, which was fundamentally connected with the Central Asian Iranian- -Hellenistic religious context. The main approach is to examine how political and social developments as well as the interaction between Early Kushan society and other Indo -Iranian dynasties affected coin images. My focus will be on the process ending in the formation of an independent iconography and the stabilisation of political and royal appellations on coinage.

Keywords

• bactria
• greco-bactrian
• early kushan
• indo-greek
• 1st and 2nd century ce
• religious imagery
• kujula kadphises
• hermaios imitation
• wēś