214 V. A. Smith — Orceco-Boman influence on Ancient India. [Aug. 



it is quite possible that some of the primitive coins may be considerably 

 older. 



The oldest Indian coins to which a date can be assigned are those issued 

 by Sophytes, the contemporary of Alexander, in imitation of Syrian coins. 



The only valid reason for supposing the blank and punch-marked 

 coins not to be of Greek origin is that they show no trace of Greek 

 influence either in weight or device. They cannot be proved to be older 

 than the age of Alexander the Great. 



The earliest Indian inscribed coins belong to the period of Asoka. 

 It seems probable that the use of legends on coins was one of the many 

 effects produced in India by contact with the Hellenistic world. 



It is impossible to be certain when the use of rude coins of Indian 

 standard altogether ceased — it may have lingered in out-of-the-way 

 parts of the country until comparatively modern times, 



Asoka's coinage must apparently have consisted chiefly of rude, 

 uninscribed coins of Indian standard, in silver and copper. The in- 

 scribed coins of his age are rare, and do not record any king's name. 



The general adaptation in India of Greek or Graeco- Roman types of 

 coinage was the result of Indo-Scythian invasions about the beginning 

 of the Christian era. The Indo-Scythians also introduced gold coinage. 

 Their gold coins are essentially Greek stalers, though showing the in- 

 fluence of various foreign ideas. 



The Gupta coinage is intimately related to the Indo-Scythian, and 

 its devices exhibit faint traces of Greek influence as late as A. D. 400. 



The die-cutters of India never attained any high degree of excel- 

 lence in their art. Their failure in the artistic treatment of the human 

 form stands in sharp contrast to the success of the Bactrian mint masters. 

 The peculiarities of Bactrian numismatic art are briefly explained. 



The use of Greek legends on the coins of Indo-Scythian kings in 

 the first and second centuries of the Christian era shows that a know- 

 ledge of the Greek language was then diffused in India to a considerable 

 extent. The knowledge of Greek seems to have lingered longest in 

 Guzerat. Corrupt Greek letters are found on coins of Skanda Gupta, 

 struck in that region as late as A. D. 450. 



It is curious that no Greek inscription has been found in India. 

 The numismatic facts above summarized help to render credible 

 and intelligible the alleged Greek influence on Indian literature, science, 

 and philosophy, to the summary consideration of which the few remain- 

 ing pages of the essay are devoted. 



Chapter VIII. The Origin of the Indian Drama. 

 The author accepts the theory maintained by Professor "Windisch 

 that the Indian drama was developed by the help of Greek influences, 



