Tribal republic coins
Also called: Yaudheya coins · Topic: Economy of Early India: Agriculture, Trade, Guilds, Coinage · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Tribal republic coins were issued by gana-sanghas. These were groups ruled by councils of clan leaders, not by a single king. The Yaudheyas, Malavas, Arjunayanas and Kunindas all issued such coins, mainly between c. 2nd century BCE and c. 4th century CE. The coins carried the name of the tribe or its gana (assembly), not the name of a king. Most were made of copper. They show that republics also ran their own money and took an active part in trade.
Example
The Yaudheyas were a tribal republic in the Punjab–Haryana region. Several thousand of their copper coins from c. 1st century CE have been found. Their coins were issued in the name of the Yaudheya gana.
Don't confuse with
- Kushana coins: Kushana coins were royal gold coins that carried the king's name and image. Tribal republic coins were mostly copper and named the tribe.
- Punch-marked coins: punch-marked coins carried only symbols, with no name of any king or tribe.