A Study on the Complexity and Application of Coinage along the Silk Road

Abstract

Occasionally, coin finds provide insight into daily life and business activities in markets and settlements, as well as some other purposes, including diplomacy, burial, tribute, etc. It is worth noting here that those coins minted from precious metals like gold and silver occupied the vast majority of purposes as described above. The history of the Silk Road began circa the 2nd century B.C. when the Han emperor Wudi of China expanded the territory into the Xinjiang region and inner Asian mountain corridor, considerably enhancing the interactions with the nomadic groups in Central Asia in aspects including commerce, military, and politics. Moreover, India, in another hand, also was part of this nexus and occupied a key position as far as the sea route was concerned, and its correlation with ports of the Roman Empire in the red sea region. In this paper, the role of currencies for local commerce and cross-regional trade will be examined by comparing the circulation of currencies and their application in different regions along the Silk Road.