Among Zoroastrian burial items, there is a camel-shaped zoomorphic OSTADON lying there. It was found…
The collection of numismatics of the Ichan-Kala State Museum-Reserve comprises 21 982 depository items, including 292 orders and medals, 15 946 coins, 5 630 items related to paper and silk money.
Coins, paper and silk money make up the bulk of this fund. Most of the coins and banknotes were donated to the fund by the city residents in different years. Also worth mentioning are the treasures of coins found on the territory of Ichan-Kala during restoration work and archaeological excavations. These are: coins of the Timurids, 248 pieces; khantanga coins of the 19th century, 200 pieces; coins of Timur, Yazd, 797 AH / 14th century, 248 pieces. Thanks to this collection, one can study the history of Khorezm from the emergence of the first states up to the present day.
For many centuries, before implementing of coinage system, various forms of barter trade prevailed in Khorezm. Even then, the people of Khorezm learned about metal (gold and silver) money. However, due to certain socio-economic conditions, they still did not make it a measure of value in their sell and purchase transactions.
In 330–327 BCE, the Achaemenid state was defeated by the troops of Alexander the Great. After his death, Hellenistic states, particularly, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom were formed in the conquered territories. At that time, Eucratides 20-stater coins weighing more than 160 grams were considered the largest gold coins of antiquity. The coin minting system in Greco-Bactria existed for over a hundred years.
By the end of the 2nd – 1st centuries BCE, minting of the so-called “Barbaric” imitations, i.e. copies of the original coins was widespread. These imitations can be considered the initial form of Khorezm local coinage since all the previous coins were minted by the Greek rulers of Bactria.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "The Collection of the Ichan-Kala State Museum-Reserve" (Volume XLVII) in the series "Сultural legacy of Uzbekistan in the world collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
