Silver Coin Unearthed at India’s Keeladi Archaeological Site

News July 29, 2021

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TAMIL NADU, INDIA—According to a report in The Times of India, a punch-marked silver coin has been unearthed at the Keeladi archaeological site, which is located on the banks of the Vaigai River in southeastern India. The coin bears images of the sun, the moon, a bull, and a dog on its obverse, and a half circle and a sign resembling a Tamil letter on its reverse. Thangam Thennarasu, minister for industries, Tamil development, and archaeology, said the coin may have been used in trade with communities in northern India before the rise of the Mauryan Empire, around 321 B.C. To read about the discovery of an early Buddhist monastery in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, go to "Buddhist Retreat."

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