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1 Tahil
| Issuer | Pre-Islamic kingdoms |
|---|---|
| Year | 800-1300 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Gold |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Convex, globular obverse surface of hammered gold with an irregular, rounded flan typical of early Southeast Asian coinage. The field is largely plain and unmarked, exhibiting the characteristic dome-like profile of the masa or tahil series. The surface shows the natural flow lines and tool marks consistent with primitive hammering technique, with no discernible legend or device, the design being confined to the opposite face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
These diminutive gold pieces circulated across the maritime trading networks of insular Southeast Asia during a period when Hindu-Buddhist polities controlled the spice and forest-product routes connecting China to the Indian Ocean world. The tahil was a weight unit before it was a denomination, and the fractional gold pieces struck to that standard served commerce more than they served any single state — which is why attribution to a specific issuer remains contested across the references.
Wicks's classification separates these by fabric and find-site distribution rather than by political authority, a telling admission about how little we know of the minting arrangements behind them.