COMPOSITIONAL STUDY OF SILVER COINS OF SHAMSUDDIN ILYAS SHAH, A SULTAN OF BENGAL (14TH CENTURY CE) USING EDXRF

Abstract

: In numismatics, coins are considered as a reflection of the economy and culture of a nation or civilization. Relative proportion of major/minor elements in coins provides valuable information on changes in monetary theory, economic conditions, material technologies, political aspect, religion, cultural heritage and art of minting at the time. Ten silver coins issued by Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, a ruler of the Bengal Sultanate, were selected from the collection of Bangladesh National Museum and analyzed using EDXRF for elemental composition and comparative study. Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah ascended the throne about the end of the year 1342 CE (743 Hijri) and had a reign of 16 years and some months. The main element, silver was estimated along with trace elements copper and gold. Silver was found in all coins and varied between 97% and 99% indicating the better economic condition of the regime of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah. Moreover, copper was delib-erately added to silver during coin fabrication for hardening purposes.