186, Lot: 67. Estimate $150. Sold for $115. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

INDIA, Kushan Empire. Kanishka I. Circa AD 127/8-152. Æ Tetradrachm (25mm, 17.37 g). Mint A. Kanishka standing left, sacrificing at altar and holding scepter / Mithra standing left; tamgha in left field. Cf. MK 769-770; cf. MACW 3074-3078. Good Fine, brown patina, some roughness and deposits.

Miiro, or Mithra, was a Persian deity who acted as an intermediary between Ahura Mazda and the earth and insured the reciprocal relations of humans. Deriving from Iran, his popularity among Roman legions is clear from his numerous cult sites, or Mithraea, located in and around their encampments. Likewise, this god was also popular among the Kushans, not only because of their syncretic interest, but also as a personification of the benefits gained both through empire-building and international diplomacy.