120 V. A. Smith —Gold Goins of the Imforial Gupta Dynasty. [No. 2, 
were respectively the second, third, and fourth sovereigns of the line, 
appear to have coined in gold only, and gold pieces of all these princes 
are extant. It is probable that during their reigns, as in the time of 
their Indo-Scythian predecessors, the silver currency was supplied “ by 
the abundant issues of the Greek princes.”* 
The fifth king, Chandra Gupta II, has left coins in gold, silver, and 
copper, as also has his son and successor Kumara Gupta Mahendra. 
Skanda Gupta, the last of his line who enjoyed imperial power,"f' 
did not, as far as is at present known, issue any copper coinage, but 
specimens both of his gold and silver mintages exist in considerable 
numbers. 
Biidha Gupta’s money is known in silver only ; and the coins of Nara 
Gupta and other eastern successors of the imperial dynasty occur only 
in gold, though the metal is often very impure. 
The design of my catalogue is limited to a description of the coins 
of the imperial Guptas, as above defined, but, inasmuch as earlier pub¬ 
lications on the subject do not discriminate the local and imperial coin¬ 
ages, I have been compelled to notice briefly in a Supplement some of 
the coins of Nara Gupta and other minor kings of uncertain date and 
lineage. The full discussion of these later coins would require a long 
dissertation to itself. Tor various reasons I shall not attempt to discuss 
the silver coinages of the Gupta kings, although there is still room for 
a comprehensive essay on the subject. | 
The rare copper coins of Chandra Gupta II and Kumara Gupta 
Mahendra seem to possess comparatively little historical interest, and, 
except as curiosities, are certainly of less importance than the gold and 
silver coins. I therefore pass them by for the present, without detailed 
notice. It is probable, as suggested by Wilson, that the vast Indo- 
Scythian issues of copper coin supplied the Gupta era with nearly suffi- 
* Ariana Antiqua, p. 348. 
t On another occasion I may perhaps venture on a review of what is known of 
Gupta history and chronology, but there is reason to hope that the task may be 
undertaken by a more competent hand. For the present it will suffice to say that 
I consider the death of Skanda Gupta, or, at least, the break up of his empire, to 
have occurred in A. D. 318-319, and both the reign of Sri Gupta and the Gupta era 
to have begun about 160-170 A. D. I altogether dissent from the view of Prof. 
# • 
Oldenberg and other writers who make the Gupta dynasty hegm in A. D. 318-9 ; and 
I am equally unable to agree with Mr. Thomas in identifying the Gupta and Saka 
eras. 
X This remark must not be understood as signifying any failure to appreciate 
the value of Mr. Thomas’ and General Cunningham’s writings. 
