Kushan

The Kushan Empire was an empire originally formed in the early 1st century CE in the territories of the former Greco-Bactrian Kingdom around the Oxus River and later based near Kabul, Afghanistan. The Kushans spread from the Kabul River Valley to also encompass much of the Indo-Greek Kingdom, from which they took their first official language (Greek), the Bactrian alphabet, the Greco-Buddhist religion, the coinage system as well as art. The Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sassanid Persia, Aksumite Empire and Han China. While much philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record we have of the empire's history today comes from inscriptions and accounts in other languages, particularly Chinese.

In the Kushan numismatics mixes Greek-Hellenistic, Iranian-Persian and Indian influences to form a very unique character. The coins always show the king on the obverse regardless of material - be it standing, sitting or just in the port. On the reverse there is always one of the deities of the Kushanite pantheon such as the sun god Helios-Mithra and his wife the moon goddess Salene-Mao or the goddess of the earth and fertility Ardoksho.