@article{ashurov2018coins author = {Barakatullo Ashurov}, title = {Coins Convey a Message: Numismatic Evidence for Sogdian Christianity}, journal = {Central Asiatic Journal}, volume = {61}, number = {2}, year = {2018}, abstract = {This article examines numismatic evidence and aims to enquire what can be said about the history of Christianity in mediaeval Sogdiana between the 5th and the 9th centuries. The article will focus on Sogdian coins displaying Christian iconography, especially the cross. The Christian semantic of the cross in Sogdian coins is analysed on the basis of a comparative art historical examination with other regions where the cross was used as a conventional symbol for Christianity. Rather than concentrating on its monetary value, the prime interest will be on the historical, socio-cultural and religious contexts of Sogdian coinage and its representative role in relation to Christianity. Sogdian coins bearing Christian motifs have been found at Varakhsha, Paykent, Qum-Sovtan, Afrāsiāb, Panjikent and Osrušana, and their circulation was putatively limited to the regions where they were discovered. Hence, they appear to have been local currencies, used for local commercial transactions.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.13173/centasiaj.61.2.0257} doi = {10.13173/centasiaj.61.2.0257} }