Coins And Currency Systems of Post-Gupta Bengal (c. AD 550-700)

Ancient coins, surviving into the present age, are living commentaries on the dead past. So Coins of a given period and area constitute an important source of information about its history and culture. Bengal (now divided into West Bengal and Bangladesh) is no exception. But the discoveries and recognition of identity of several series of coins of ancient (up to c. AD 750) and protomediaeval (c. AD 750-1200) Bengal have been done only in the last two decades. A significant development in this field of Study is related to the post-Gupta period (c. Ad 550-750). The availability of the Numismatic and epigraphic data relating to the coins and currency system of this age now provides enough scope for a fresh study of the subject. In fact, such an investigation is a desideratum for understanding the economic history of period of transition (from the Gupta age to the Pala times) in the history of Bengal. The present work fulfils this need. Divided into six chapters and an appendix, the present work discusses the coins and currency systems of Vanga and Gauda-Vanga, coins of Samatata, and the technique of production and artistry of these pices, and also furnishes a catalogue of the relevant coin-types. It also sums up the present state of research in the monetary systems of Bengal (up to c. AD 1200).