China’s records on Cow-horse coins from Nepal
Recorded by Hóng zūn(洪遵)during the Southern Song period (1127-1279), a design of a coin with a human in head and a horse and cow in the tails from ancient Nepal has been recorded in Chinese history.
Ancient Nepal has seen a variety of coin designs through and across eras and kingdoms. A design of a coin with a human in the head and a horse and cow in the tails from ancient Nepal has been recorded in Chinese history. This has been specifically recorded by Hóng zūn(洪遵)during the Southern Song period (1127-1279) in a book titled 《泉志》(Quán zhì). This is known as the earliest surviving complete treatise on money. During the Ming Dynasty, the Quanzhi was updated by the Ming Dynasty scholar Xú Xiàngméi (徐象梅) also known as Zhòng hé(仲和)as the original images of the coins had been lost. Hence, the image of the coin in the records are based on the description of the coins of Ancient Nepal during the Tang Dynasty.
Note that Nepal has had different names in Chinese and in this context particularly during the Tang Dynasty, it was called Ní pó luó guó (泥婆罗国).
右泥婆罗国钱。《旧唐书・西戎传》曰:“泥婆罗国以铜为钱,面文为人,背文为马牛,不穿孔。”
(To the right is Country of Nepal’s money. Country of Nepal uses copper for money, human in the face, horse and cow at the back, there is no hole.”)
《新唐书・西域传》曰:“泥婆罗国铸铜为钱,面文人形,背牛马形。
(Country of Nepal cast copper for money, face is in human shape, and back is of horse and cow shape.)
Caption: later made coin based on records (picture source:古泉学苑公众号)
On picture:《泉志》卷十二(外国钱下)(Quanzhi, roll 12, Foreign money, second part)
In the past, there have been books that have tried to update the records such as Jin Jiacai’s《洪氏泉志校误》(“Correction of Hong’s Quanzhi”)in the late Qing Dynasty and Ding Fubao’s《泉志菁华录》(“Quanzhi Elite Records”)in the Republic times. However, China’s understanding of numismatics outside the Chinese cultural circle was limited which led to the failure to find the accurate image of the Cow-horse money of Nepal.
Summary of article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/KsJh905P3XehD_NGGaetnA
Note: there may be errors in the translation of classical Chinese. In case of an error, please email us.
Thank you for this very informative piece.