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Dāmazāda I was an unknown king until his discovery by Robert Senior recently. Jha and Rajgor do not include him in their catalog. Senior had called this king
Damaghsada I in line with the name of another king with the same name, son of Rudradāman I. However, I have shown recently that the correct name is
Dāmazāda (see my paper The Western Kshatrapa Dāmazāda, in the
Numismatic Chronicle, 2009.)
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Dāmazāda I ("Damaghsada I") |
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Dāmazāda I, potin unit
c. late 1st century CE
Weight: 3.89 gm., Diam: 17 mm.
Horse standing right, ribboned spear before, Kharoshthi legend around:
@1h: Rajno Mahakshatrapa ... /
Chaitya (3-arched hill), river below, crescent moon and sun above, Brahmi legend around
(Rajno Mahakshatrapa Zamotikaputrasa Dāmazādasa)
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These horse type coins were traditionally assigned to Chastana, because the legends had not been fully read. Known
coins had included the word Zamotikaputrasa and so they had been assumed to be issues of Chastana, the only known son of Zamotika. However, Robert Senior
discovered a coin on which he could read part of the name of Dāmazāda, who was also known from coins of the next type, and it became clear that Zamotika must
have had at least two sons, Chastana and Dāmazāda, and that Dāmazāda was the issuer of the horse coins.
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Dāmazāda I, AE tetradrachm
c. late 1st century CE
overstruck on a copper tetradrachm of the Kushan ruler "Soter Megas"
Weight: 7.53 gm., Diam: 20-22 mm.
Bust of Soter Megas, overstruck with a countermark bearing a Brahmi legend:
Swamisa Dā / mazādasa / /
Normal Soter Megas reverse
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Dāmazāda must have ruled further north than Chastana, as he presumably came into conflict with Soter
Megas, as evidenced by this and the next overstruck coins. They also suggest a late 1st century date for Dāmazāda.. |
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Dāmazāda I, AE tetradrachm
c. late 1st century CE
overstruck on a copper tetradrachm of the Kushan ruler "Soter Megas"
Weight: 7.76 gm., Diam: 20-22 mm.
Bust of Soter Megas, overstruck with a countermark of a chaitya /
Normal Soter Megas reverse
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Although this coin does not name Dāmazāda, it was presumably another overstrike of his, in light of the
previous coin and the use of the chaitya, the dynastic symbol of the Kardamakas. However, it is possible that it was issued by Chastana. |
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