Ancients => IND0-SKYTHIANS => wha? ... who are those dudes?

Yah, this pretty AR example kinda caught my eye ... I do already own an AE example from these fellas, but this simple, lil' silver-dawg just seemed to be callin' out to me!!

=> "stevex6 ... are you my real Daddy?"

"yes I am, Azes ... yes I am"

INDO-SKYTHIANS. Azes. AR Tetradrachm
Circa 58-12 BC
Diameter: 27 mm
Weight: 9.32 grams
Obverse: King on horseback right, holding spear
Reverse: Zeus standing slightly left, holding thunderbolt and scepter; monogram to lower left, Bha to right
Reference: Senior 80.10T
Other: 12h … toned, granular surfaces

 

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The skythians are indigenous to central asia. Approximately modern day southern russia. Before the Kushans arrived, a group of them had attacked and conquered Bactria, (the central asian remnant of Alexander's empire). The Yueh chi, (later to be named Kushans), invaded the area from NW China about 100 years later, and pushed the Skythians into "India". Hence the "Indo" name. Remember India used to include modern day Pakistan, and this is where this coin was most likely struck.

Helpful?

 

Oh yah => that's very helpful!! ... thank you, medoraman (I like you)

Cheers, brother!!

 

Nice details my lil coin brother.

 

Oh, and I haven't really touched-base with you lately ...

=> I like brother => I hope that you and your chick have a great season!!

sadly, for the record => it is -37 celsius at the moment!! .... my truck doesn't want to start and my dogs don't wanna piss outside!! (yup, tis the season to be chilly!!)

Cheers

 

For comparison another one.
Senior believes there only was one Azes. According to others there were two. Your horserider with the spear is traditionally attributed to Azes I. The one i show here, holding a whip, is usually attributed to Azes II (35-12 BC).
This Tetradrachm shows Athena Facing right.

 

My Azes tet is a little different wit Poseidon in place of Zeus and different field marks.

 

Wooo doggy, those are some purdy coins, fellas ...

Yup, as I stated before, I also have an AE-example
=> so here it is ...

 

Again ... sorry that I haven't been paying too much attention to this coin-thread ...

=> please tack-on any of your coin-photos (I love seeing your stuff!!)

 

Fell off the wagon Steve, i think we should set that dang wagon on fire and buy more coins..
Oh my bad, great lookin' coin, my frozen friend..

 

Don't set it on fire just yet. I'm still on it.

 

Hey Bing => man, I'm very sorry that I lept-off of the wagon and left you stranded by yourself (but the way that things have been goin' lately, I'm pretty sure that somebody else will be pulling themselves up to keep you company!!)

Cheers!!

 

I really love the Indo-Scythian coins. I have the sasme Azes II as Doug with the Neptune reverse.

I have several Yu-zhi coins, although I dont have pictures on my work computer, so ya'll gonna have to wait, unfortunetly.

There is a school of thought that claims that the Indo Scythians were branch of Saka. Saka is gernally accepted as a blanket term for outsider or forigner similar to that of Hun. It is thought that the Indo Scythians might be ancestors of the Western Satraps, who refered to themselves as Saka. They even established a Saka Era beinging in 78 AD,l started sometime during the reign of Nahapana. That calender I believe is still in use in parts of India. I am not sure how true or how false the theory is but its a theory non-the-less. It would be pretty neet that these Iranic, Greekish people would be come a dominate empire in India for the next 400 or so years.

 

Oh and well played steve. A fabulous example.

 

I suppose we will burn together my friend.

 

Yes, its pretty accepted the Skythians were the western satraps. There was northern and western satrapies, but the northern one fell much earlier. The western one continued for quite some time.

It was weird, but I picked up a coin from a world dealer I didn't know what it was but it was somewhat familiar. It ended up being a very early western satrap coin. Much higher quality than the later one you see so commonly. I will try to get a pic.

 

Nahapana 75 AD
Trilingual AR Karashapana
Kshaharatas of Saurashtra
21 mm x 2.53 grams
Early Western Satraps.
There is also a school of thought that indicates that these coins are infact recoined RR and Julio-Claudian Denari that made it into India. WOW!

 

Yep, that is it AN. I would say mine has a better artisitic portrait though, no offense meant to your coin. Fantastic reverse, better than mine.

 

Sweet lookin' coins, my Indo-Skythian coin-comrades!!

 

that's a super one stevex, super details one that one...interesting how they did the thunderbolt.

but what is the "Bha"? a little lighting bolt? google's first hit is "Butylated hydroxyanisole"...I doubt if that's it.