Indo Greek Coins

One of my favourite areas of history are the Indo-Greek Kingdoms. These mysterious outposts of Classical Greek culture , left over from Alexander the Great and the Seleucids lasted till the end of the BCE years in the remote areas of modern day Afghanistan and North West India. The merging of local art and religion with Greek styles is unique and we know so little about the history with almost no written records. The coins often depict Indian deities with Greek features and combine Greek lettered obverse with the local ancient Karoshthi scripts on the reverse.
Here is a beautiful coin I acquired last year, of one of the last kings, Zoilos II from about 50 BCE.
Who were these mysterious people? What were they like, what are their stories? We really only have the coins to tell us anything.
Does anyone have others to share?


Zoilos II Soter (Indo-Greek King c. 55-35 BCE) - silver drachm
Struck: c. 55-53 BCE
Obverse: Diademed bust of king right, Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ // ZΩIΛOY
Reverse: Athena Alkidemos standing left, seen from behind, holding shield on outstretched left arm, and hurling thunderbolt with right hand, monogram at right, additional Kharoshthi letter vi at left, Kharoshthi legend around: Maharajasa tratarasa // Jhoilasa.

Reference: MIG 459q, Bop 1E

 

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Great topic, and great coin @limmle . I agree that these area were represented by some great coins, but I do not know a lot about their histories... and would be fascinated to know a lot more.


Indo-Greek
Baktria
Menander I Soter BCE 155-130
AR Tet 26mm 9.6g
Diad -
Athena Alkidemos tbolt Gorgon shield
SNG ANS 764-767

 

Indo-Greeks are a very peripheral collecting area for me, but I agree there's alot of tantalizing mystery suggested by their history and coinage. I bought the bronze of Hippostratos below last year because I was intrigued by the depiction of a distinctly fishy nautical deity on the obverse of a coin of what was a landlocked kingdom.


INDO-GREEK KINGDOM, Hippostratos
AE Square Octuple Unit. 19.36g, 28.5 x 27.2mm. Uncertain mint in eastern Gandhara or the western Punjab, circa 65-55 BC. Bopearachchi 12A. HGC 12, 456. O: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ – ΙΠΠΟΣΤΡΑΤΟΥ, Triton facing, holding dolphin in his right hand and rudder in his left. R: 'Maharajasa tratarasa Hipusratasa' (in Karoshti), Tyche standing front, head to left, holding lotus flower in her right hand and palm frond in her left; to left, monogram.

 

Wow! Very cool! Very interesting deity!

 

Congrats on the great coin @limmle. I agree, the Indo-Greek coins and kingdoms are fascinating. I would love to devote more time to collecting their coins, but as of now have only one in my collection.

Menander I Soter AR Drachm 155-130 BC. 18mm, 2.46 g.
Obv: Diademed heroic bust left, seen from behind, wearing aegis and brandishing spear.
Rev: Athena Alkedimos advancing left, holding shield and thunderbolt; monogram to right.
Bopearachchi 7A

 

INDO-GREEK KINGDOM
Zoilos II
Ca 50-40 BCE
AR drachm
17mm 2.3g
Athena Alkidemos l monograms
Possibly aided Antony with troops at Actium
SNG ANS 1654-1658

 

Here are some Baktrian:


Baktria
Apollodotos I
180-160 BCE
Square AR Drachm
20mm 2.4g
Elephant
Zebu
SNG ANS 324-327



Baktria
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom
Eukratides I Megas
170-145 BCE
Dioscuri
AE Quadruple Unit

 

I do not actively collect these Indo Greek coins but I have three that I picked up at a coin show, one the silver drachma of Antialkidas (?) which I think is Sear 7693 (2.45 grams) and two from a junk box. I think the large bronze coin, 8.45 grams, is a Kushan, which I am not sure counts as an Indo Greek, with some Kushan ruler on the obverse and on the reverse I can make out the Mega Basileus but only the last letter of the name, a Greek rho. The other junk box find is, again I think, a low grade silver (billon) drachma (2.5 grams) and I can just make out another Basileus followed by a barely legible Megaxxxx with a ruler(?) sitting on a horse. The reverse has what appears to be an Athena wielding a shield (promachos?) and some script I cannot make out. Since posters here are more likely to be familiar with the Greek Indo coinage and I am not at all familiar with them I would appreciate any more information on any of these three coins. Thanks.

 

Yes! I'm very happy to see this topic, as I have been looking at Baktrian and Indo-Greek coins for a while, now. I've decided that my next two ancients will be Indo-Greek: one Menander I, and one from one of his successors. It is quite possible that I will end up collecting Indo-Greek coins more than any other area.

The reason I'm so interested in the Indo-Greeks is because they sat at the crossroads of the Greek west and the Indian south. This interesting because of the probability of philosophical exchanges that seem to show up in Greek philosophers like Pyrrho, who traveled to India with Alexander the Great and his army. Some think the pre-Socratic philosopher Pythagoras shows Indian influences, too. (Of course, both Pythagoras and Pyrrho were well before the time of the Indo-Greek kingdoms.)

I also have to say, the portraiture and also the general artistry and execution on some of the Baktrian coins is extraordinarily well-done, but due to pricing I don't see any of those coming my way for a very long time.

@limmle, and others, what drew you to Baktrian and Indo-Greek coins?

 

Look up the "Axial Age" for more on your interest.

 

Thanks, Kevin! I'm not completely sold on the entirety of the Axial Age theory, but it is definitely thought-provoking and fascinating. I suppose my interest relates to a part of it, actually: possible to probable Buddhist/Śramaṇa influences on Greek thought. I'm trying to decide which book to buy out of a few that exist on this topic.

 

I've always loved the story of Alexander the Great travelling so far from home. I think it was a remarkable achievement for the time travelling to such "alien" places. The archaeological site of Ai-Khanoum (originally thought to be one of the lost Alexandria cities of Alexander's conquest, but now thought to be founded later) is an undeservedly neglected site with a rich history in both ancient and contemporary times.(see https://realhistory.co/2018/07/12/greek-city-in-afghanistan/). Then there's the fact that almost the entirety of what we know about the era has been reconstructed from coins, giving added importance to the numismatics.

 

The Kushan and Indo-Scythian coins are very much part of the story. Their coins used a corrupted version of Greek on the obverse. They also continued to mint posthumous versions of coins of previous Greek Kings (especially Hermaios).

Azes II (Indo-Scythian King c. 35-12 BCE)
Struck: c. 20BCE
Obverse: Elephant, Right. Greek Legend BASILEOS MEGALOY AZOY Reverse: Bull (Zebu), right. Karosthi legend MAHARAJASA MAHATASA AYASA.
Reference: Senior 109.10 (no monogram)


Vima Takha Soter Megas (Kushan King c. 50-100 CE)
Struck: c. 50-100 CE
Obverse: Diademed bust right, holding sceptre, 7 rays Tamgha behind, all within dotted border Reverse: King mounted on horse right, holding whip or dagger. Greek legend around: BACIΛEV BACIΛEVWN CWTHP MEΓAC
Reference: MAC 2947.


Hermaios Soter (Indo- Greek King c. 90-70 BCE) - Posthomous
Struck: after 70 BCE
Obverse: Bare-headed, diademed bust of king right. (BAΣIΛEΩΣ) ΣΩTHPOΣ (EPMAIOY) Reverse: Zeus enthroned three-quarters left, holding sceptre in left hand and bestowing blessing with right hand, Karosthi legend around.
Reference: RIC VI 61

 

Great coin. Love the tentacled beast. One of my favourite deity representations on Greek coins is one by Agothocles of Bactria. Some believe this to be the Indian deity Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, holding a lotus blossom. It's also the first time a local script is used. In this case its Brahmi. Unfortunately my own example is very worn, so the details are hard to make out. Does anyone have a better one?
Coin India's gallery pages have excellent information on the Bactrians and Indo Greeks. http://coinindia.com/home.html


Agathocles. (King of Bactria c. 190-180 BCE) - bronze double karshapana
Struck: 190-180 BCE
Obverse: Female deity (goddess Lakshmi?) moving left, holding flower (Brahmi legend: Rajane Agathukleyasasa) Reverse: Lion standing right, Greek legend: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΓAΘOKΛEOYΣ
Reference: HGC 12, 98; Bopearachchi 10A

 

Love Menander! He was apparently a pretty cool King! He was probably the first to actually embrace Buddhism. Many have identified him as the King Milinda in the Buddhist text Milindapanha.



Menander I Soter (Indo-Greek King c. 155-130 BCE) - silver drachm
Struck: c. 155-130 BCE
Obverse: Diademed, helmeted bust of king right, discontinuous Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ / MENANΔPOY. Reverse: Athena Alkidemos standing left, holding horizontal shield, hurling thunderbolt, monograms at left and right, discontinuous Kharosthi legend around: maharajasa tratarasa / menamdrasa
Reference: Bop 16E

 

That is why I got him too. Purdy cool guy.

 

India Indo-Scythian King Azes I 57-30BCE AR Drachm

 

Another interesting feature of Indo Greek coinage is the presence of several women.

Agathokleia was possibly the daughter of Menander I and appears to have ruled as regent during the minority of her son (?) Strato I. On my (very worn) coin, she is mentioned on the obverse, with Strato on the reverse.

Also King Heramaios is represented with his Queen Calliope on a number of coins, leading some historians to believe that he was emphasising royal connections through her.


Agathokleia (Indo-Greek Queen or Regent c. 130-120 BCE) and Strato I (Indo-Greek King c.130-110 BCE) - bronze hemiobol
Struck: 135-125 BC
Obverse: Helmeted bust of Athena right,: BAΣIΛIΣΣHΣ / ΘEOTPOΠOY / AΓAΘOKΛEIAΣ Basilisses Theotropou Agathokleias ... of god-like Queen Agathocleia Reverse: Nude Herakles seated left on a pile of rocks,holding club in right hand which he rests on another pile of rocks, Kharoshthi legend: maharajasa / tratarasa dhra / mikasa stratasa (of King Strato, the savior, the just) monogram to lower left
Reference: MIG 307a, Bop 3A


Hermaios Soter (Indo- Greek King c. 90-70 BCE) with Queen Calliope - silver drachm
Struck: c. 90-70 BCE
Obverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHΡOΣ EΡMAIOY / KAI KAΛΛIOΠHΣ (Basileos Soteros Hermaiou kai Callioes ... of King and Saviour Hermaios and Calliope). Conjoined busts right of Hermaios, diademed and draped, and Calliope, draped
Reverse: Karosthi legend around maharajasa tratarasa heramayasa / kaliyapaya. King on horseback right, monogram below.
Reference: Bopearachchi 2B; SNG ANS 1319-25

 

Thank you, limmle! I get the impression that the Buddhist text has been understood as clearly identifying Menander, but many people do not believe that Menander did convert to Buddhism--partly because his coins, with one or two exceptions, do not make use of Buddhist iconography. For me, that's not really an issue: why should he change his coin design just because he converted to Buddhism, or otherwise found it to be meaningful?

But I also wonder if perhaps it was a different, less-well-known king who might have converted to Buddhism, and then had it recorded about Menander, the same way that archaeologists date the building program that the Bible ascribes to Solomon to the time of Ahab (who is recorded as A Bad Guy in the Old Testament). This kind of chronological "telescoping" is very common in the writings of the OT. The other option, of course, is that maybe nobody who was a prominent Greek embraced Buddhism in the way the Milindapanha depicts. That said, I'm sure some did, and the art from Gandhara bears witness to a fusion of Greek and Indian religious art.

 

I have this cool Soter Megas