1865.] Ancient Indian Weights. 55 
‘the nearly full-surface die-struck money with devices of an elephant 
and a panther ;* which class in turn merge naturally into the similar 
though advanced fabrics of the mints of Agathocles and Pantaleon, of 
square or oblong form,+ a shape the Greeks had not previously made 
use of, but which when once adopted they retained without scruple, 
whatever their early prejudices might have been—possibly out of re- 
spect for local associations, a motive which weighed sufficiently with 
their successors and other Bactrian Hellenes to induce them to per- 
petuate the square indifferently with the circular coins. The excep- 
tional, or in this case indigenous form, found favour in later generations 
with the Muhammadan conquerors, who sanctioned unreservedly square 
pieces in common with the circular forms, up to the time of Shah 
Jehan (4.p. 1628-58). But though these unshapely bits of metal ran 
on in free circulation up to the advent of the Greeks, this by no means 
implies that there were not other and more perfect currencies matured 
in India. The use of the time-honoured punch survived in the Penin- 
sula till very lately, but no one would infer from this fact that there 
were not more advanced methods of coining known in the land. In 
fact, like other nations of the Hast, the Hindus have uniformly evine- 
ed more regard for intrinsic value than criticism of the shape in which 
money presented itself. 
Many of these ancient symbols, more especially the four-fold Sun 
(17, No 1, Plate XI.) are found established in permanence on the 
fully-struck coinage of Ujain,{ of a date not far removed from the 
reign of Asoka, who once ruled ag sub-king of that city; the pro- 
bable period of issue is assumed from the forms of the Indian-Pali let- 
ters embodying the name of U’suninq, the local rendering of the later 
classical Sanskrit Ujjayiné. Associated in the same group as regards 
* These coins are still mere compromises, being formed from: an obverse 
punch, with a full surface reverse, ‘Ariana Antiqua,” pl. xv. figs. 26, 27; 
Prinsep’s “ Essays,” i. pl. xx, figs. 50, 51, page 220; Cunningham’s pl. i., &. 
While upon this subject, I may-notice the discovery of the name of Agathocles 
in Bactrian characters ona coin of similar fabric. His name, it will be re- 
membered, has hitherto only been found in the Indian-Pali transcript of the 
Greek (Num. Chron. N.S. iv. 196). The piece in question has, on the obverse, 
a Chaitya, with a seven-pointed star, and the name Akathakayasa (possibly 
Ankathakrayasa). The reverse bears the conventional’ sacred tree, with the 
title Maharaja strangely distorted into Hi,rajasa,me or He,ragasa,me. 
7 A. A., pl. vi. figs. 7,8, 9, 11; Prinsep’s “ Essays,” pl. xxviii, 8, 9; vol. 
ii. pp. 179, 180; “ Jour. des Sav-,” 1835, pl: i. fig. i. 
ft “Jour. As, Soc, Bengal,” vol. vii., pl. lxi., p. 1054, 
