New light on old money
Empires along the ancient Silk Road may have faded into obscurity over time, but a coin exhibition shows how trade thrived on the legendary Eurasian route. reports.
The exhibits are small and eroded, not only by sand, but by time. As the ancient empires along the Silk Road faded into obscurity, these surviving coins are remaining witnesses of the booming communication on that legendary Eurasian trade route.
The event, Coins Have Two Sides, West and East: Exhibition of Currencies on Ancient Silk Road was launched on Thursday at Network of International Cultural Exchange Gallery, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Culture.
At the show, more than 500 coins from ancient China and about 100 ancient statues from places along the land and sea routes, respectively, are displayed.
The exhibits range from copper coins with square holes from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) to gold coins from the Byzantine Empire besides items from today’s Iran, Afghanistan, Syria and India.
The exhibition hall is like a microcosm of economic history in the ancient world.
The coins are on loan from Jin Jiadong, 67, who is based in Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province.
Jin, who has been collecting coins for at least the past 30 years, owns more 10,000 items, which are displayed at a private museum in Nanchang.
“Some coins lack high economic value but contain very important historical information,” says Jin.
“When you set out to sys-