A New Kushan Hoard from Ray Dheri, Abazai (Charsadda, Pakistan)

Abstract

A Late Kushan hoard containing gold and copper coins was found by a landowner in his fields at Ray Dheri (low mound), Charsadda. It was unearthed a few years back but was first shown to the authors in the summer 2017. This hoard contained 56 gold coins and a larger number of copper coins. The authors got the opportunity to examine a small portion of the hoard, i.e. a quarter of the gold and some of the copper coins. The gold coins are mostly imitations of Vasudeva I issued by the Kushano-Sasanian kings from Bactria and the copper coins belong to the reign of Kanishka II, the successor of Vasudeva I. It is very interesting to see that the gold and copper coins were of the same period. The latest contents of the hoard suggest that it was deposited in the mid-3rd century CE.