NUMISMATIC MATERIALS OF THE UPPER AMU DARYA REGION

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of numismatic materials from the Upper Amu Darya basin and Tokharistan during the Early Middle Ages, particularly from the 5th to 8th centuries. The study covers the historical periods of the Hephthalite state and the Turkic Khaganate, focusing on the coinage of both major political entities and local principalities such as Termez, Chaghaniyan, Khuttal, Kubadian, Vakhsh, and other subordinate regions under the Tokharistan Yabghu administration. Special attention is given to coins discovered at archaeological sites such as the Budrach urban ruin and the Surkhandarya oasis, as well as materials from southern Tajikistan. The study examines coins bearing Bactrian, Sogdian, and early Turkic inscriptions, along with imitations of Sasanian coinage, highlighting their typological and epigraphic features. The article also reviews the contributions of prominent scholars including R. Göbl, H. Humbach, J. Harmatta, B.A. Litvinsky, E.V. Rtveladze, V.A. Livshits, L.S. Baratova, G. Boboyorov, and A. Kubatin, who have significantly advanced the study of Tokharistan numismatics. The findings demonstrate that the coinage of the Upper Amu Darya region reflects complex political, economic, and cultural interactions and plays an important role in reconstructing the historical development of Early Medieval Central Asia.