A vast network of trade may be associated with the ancient inhabitants of Southeast Asian jungle and coastline, a silver coin of two thousand years old.
A study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore and published Ancient Common things were found in the weight of coins and in metallurgy.
Coins alone are not a new discovery. Two important symbols are emitted over hundreds of miles towards the Bangladesh River and the Vietnamese plains, officially referring to it as the Rising Sun/Srivatsa. China’s record also mentioned a trade route as early as the second century BC that linked political affiliations in Persia and elsewhere.
However, this study is the first comprehensive attempt to take them beyond their national boundaries and overall research.
Lead author Andrew Harris told Today’s Science News. “It forces us to think that Southeast Asia is not a collection of isolated kingdoms, but a vibrant, connected region.”
According to Harris, the ubiquity of silver coins shows that the stories of previously unknown political and economic conspiracies go beyond the geographical pocket. For example, coins found in Bangladesh and Vietnam appear to be minted from the same mold, indicating that mint practice is shared among cultures and at some point, both groups trade directly. Coinage added more weight to the ancient world: common vernacular talks about political alliances, while isolated designs and unique material processes may mean dispersed relationships or missteps in communication.
Maria de Iorio, co-author of the study and the project’s chief investigator, talked about this in an interview Today’s Science News: “Our mold research helps us map the expansion and contraction of currency-based economies in the Southeast Continent. It reveals key ports, trade centers and centers of change in political power.”
