Coin, Mysterious Octopus Man Design

The figure on this coin has been called an octopus man, and it is easy to see why.

This coin, mysterious octopus man design, is from Sri Lanka and dates to 1074 to 1214 CE. It is copper. Copper coins of medieval Sri Lanka commonly show a highly stylized standing figure, generally identified as a king, whose limbs and robes have been simplified into a tangle of lines. Here the figure fills the face of the coin in raised strokes, a squared torso and curling appendages spreading in every direction. The copper carries a dark green patina. It is mounted in a smooth silver bezel with a wide tubular bail.

Royalty, abbreviated to the point of mystery.