via Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society, Spring 2024: Paper by Robert Wicks studies silver coins, significant in early mainland Southeast Asia’s monetary history and identifies four major groupings from lower Myanmar. These coins, predominantly found in the Gulf of Mottama area, point to at least two active mints around the mid-1st millennium CE, with Kyaikkatha being a probable location.
This study identifes four major groupings of struck silver conch/śrīvatsa Class A coins (Mahlo 15), the foundational coin series of early mainland Southeast Asia. The majority of class A coins, often referred to as the ‘Bago/Pegu type’, have been found along the coastal settlements of the Gulf of Mottama/Martaban in lower Myanmar. The typology presented here suggests that at least two mints were active there during the middle of the frst millennium CE, one of which was probably at Kyaikkatha or its environs on the eastern bank of the Sittaung river. The typological development of the reverse interior motif, identifed as a ritual aṅkuśa (ankus) or elephant goad, is also considered.
