Indo Greek Coins

Thanks Nathan B., interesting observations. It's what makes this whole are so fascinating for discussion and conjecture. The whole Indo-Greek art fusion is good evidence for the how the 2 cultures operated together. I love the British Museum piece of the Trojan horse from Gandhara.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Wow...I had never heard that he might have aided Antony. That would be amazing. Id love to find out more about this.

 

An excellent thread - and this my favorite, of only a few, Indo Greek coins

Baktria, Indo-Greek Kingdom, Antialkidas Nikephoros, AR Drachm. Circa 130-120 BC
Obv: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΝΤΙΑΛΚΙΔΟΥ, diademed and draped bust right, wearing kausia
Rev: Zeus Nikephoros seated facing slightly left; to left, forepart of elephant left, with trunk raised; monogram beneath throne

 

Whoa! That brought me up sharp. I took the trouble to google this, and found this in a Wikipedia page:

"He may have been the Bactrian ally of Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) and Cleopatra VII referred to by Virgil in his vision of the Battle of Actium in The Aeneid, Bk.VIII, 688: Hinc ope barbarica variisque Antonius armis, victor ab Aurorae populis et litore rubro, Aegyptum viresque Orientis et ultima secum Bactra vehit. (Antony, with barbarous wealth and strange weapons, conqueror of eastern peoples and the Indian shores, bringing Egypt, and the might of the Orient, with him, and furthest Bactria)."

I have read a large amount of Greek literature (in translation), but a negligible amount of Latin literature (again, in translation), I don't know much about Vergil but I do know that Augustus was his patron, and it was Augustus who wanted a founding epic for Rome: the Aeneid was the result. Since the Aeneid is a Homeric-style epic myth, I wouldn't necessarily put too much credence in the historicity of this detail there.

As I read this line in isolation, though, it looks like it is saying that Antony is the "conqueror of eastern peoples and Indian shores" (hyperbole); in other words, I think this Wikipedia entry may be misinterpreting the power that the eastern triumvir Antony brings to the battle, including the wealth of Baktria and Egypt, by stating that he had a Baktrian ally, which the article then identifies with Zoilos II. Or, perhaps Antony had a token contingent of Baktrian elephants and elephant handlers, or even soldiers there. I guess, in that context, maybe it's not so very difficult to believe that he would have asked Zoilos II, or an intermediary, to help support him in that struggle--but without knowing very much, I suspect that it was at most a contingent of elephants that was being referred to.

But if anyone knows more than this, or has different or simply more information, I would very happily consider it--it would make for a fascinating connection!

 

Here is @John Anthony 's comments when I captured it:

"In his vision of the Battle of Actium, Virgil writes, “Hinc ope barbarica variisque Antonius armis, victor ab Aurorae populis et litore rubro, Aegyptum viresque Orientis et ultima secum Bactra vehit. (Antony, with barbarous wealth and strange weapons, conqueror of eastern peoples and the Indian shores, bringing Egypt, and the might of the Orient, with him, and furthest Bactria).” [The Aeneid, Bk.VIII, 688]

The Bactrian ally of Marc Antony may very well have been Zoilos II, who ruled in eastern Punjab from 55-35 BC. Zoilos succeeded the last important Bactrian king Apollodotus II The Great. He appears as a balding man with hollow cheeks on drachms that follow the earlier Bactrian designs with Athena Alkidemos, the goddess in a fighting stance. This example is beautifully struck from brand new dies, with no circulation wear that I can discern. Just gorgeous! CNG had a hoard of these at one point"

 

And Strato II, probably the last Indo-Greek King (jointly ruling with his son Strato III, mentioned on some later coins from the period.) He always looks such a frail, sad, lonely old figure on his later coins. There are no records beyond the coins. What was his story I wonder?


Strato II Soter (Indo-Greek King c. 25 BCE-10 CE) - silver drachm
Struck: c 20 BCE
Obverse: Diademed bust of king right,Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ / ΣTPATΩNOΣ (Basileos Soteros Stratonos ,King Strato, the saviour)
Reverse: Athena Alkidemos left, holding aegis on outstretched arm, hurling thunderbolt with right hand, monogram at right, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa tratarasa / stratasa

Reference: MIG 469c, Bop 2A

 

Got two Indo-Greeks:

INDO-GREEK, Antimachus II Nikephoros. Denomination: AR Drachm, minted: uncertain mint; 174-165 BC
Obv: Winged Nike standing left, holding wreath and palm, monogram left, Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ NIKHΦOPOY ANTIMAXOY
Rev: Horseman (king? note the diadem) galloping to the right, Kharoshthi legend around: Maharajasa jayadharasa Amtimakhasa ("of the great king Antimachus the victorious")
Weight: 2.4g; Ø:1.6mm. Catalogue: Mig 135d, Bopearachchi Série 1C, HCG 12 124. Provenance: Ex private collection; acq.: 05-2019

INDO-GREEK, Menander I Soter. Denomination: AR Drachm, minted: Baktria; 155-130 BC
Obv: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ ('of King Menander the Saviour'), heroic bust of Menander wearing crested helmet facing right
Rev: Athena standing right, brandishing thunderbolt and holding aegis, Karosthi legend around, monogram in field to right
Weight: 2.1g; Ø:18mm. Catalogue: Sear 7603; SNG Copenhagen 294. Provenance: Ex private collection; acq.: 05-2019

 

Can anyone tell me if they think this coin (not mine--I found the image online), based on the reverse, is genuine? I'm wondering if it might be a fourrée, perhaps--there are a number of raised bumps on the coin that make me wonder if it is bronze bubbles that we are seeing.

I guess another possibility is that it is a damaged die that has caused the bumps. Another possibility: could it be a modern fake?

Note: only this side has the bumps.



Here's the other side: