No. 58.— 1907.] 



ELD LINGS. 



191 



NOTES ON A FIND OF ELDLINGS MADE IN 

 ANXJRADHAPURA. 



By John Still. 



In August of this year (1906), during the course of 

 excavations in the north end of the archaeological reservation 

 known as Vessagiriya, a find was made of seventy eldlings 

 or punch-marked coins. The interest which attaches to this 

 particular find lies, not in the symbols, for all of the coins 

 are bad specimens, but in its position. 



One of the greatest puzzles of Ceylon numismatics is the 

 question as to what coinage immediately preceded that which 

 may be called the Polonnaruwan type. 



The punch-marked eldlings are known to have existed in 

 remote antiquity. Major- General Sir A. Cunningham surmises 

 that they may possibly have been current even 1,000 years 

 B.C.,* but so far as I can gather they have not been placed 

 later than up to 150 a.d. f 



If this date, 150 a.d., which appears to be estimated to be 

 about the limit of their circulation in India, is accepted for 

 Ceylon as well, we are left with a great gap of some 1,000 

 years almost unrepresented by any indigenous currency. 

 Indeed, practically the only coins found in the Island which 

 can be safely placed in that period are Roman or South 

 Indian. 



Judging from the number, distribution, and condition of 

 the Roman coins found, it is safe to assume that they 

 were in pretty general use during the 4th and 5th centuries 

 a.d., so that we are at once confronted with this difficulty. 

 Is it likely that a nation who were accustomed to using 



" Coins of Ancient India," page 43. 



f Loc. cit., page 55. 



