Menander I Soter 160BC Indo Greek Baktrian Kingdom in India Ancient Coin i45000

Description: Item: i45000 Authentic Ancient Coin of: Baktria , Indo-Greek Kingdom in India Menander I , Soter- King: 160-145 B.C. Silver Drachm 16mm (2.11 grams) Struck 160-150 B.C. Uncertain mint in the Paropamisadai or Gandhara Reference: HGC 12, 188; Bopearachchi Serie 7 ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ MENANΔPOY "Of Saviour King Menander" - Heroic bust of the king, viewed from behind, head turned to left, wearing diademed and aegis, and thrusting with spear held in right hand. Athena standing right, brandishing thunderbolt and holding aegis; Karosthi legend around: Mahrajasa tratarasa Menamdrasa "of Great King Menander the Savior" ; monogram to left.. This king was famous in Buddhist narrative as king "Milinda", who was said to have been a convert to Buddhism after debating philosophical points with the sage Nagasena. Perhaps the best-known of the Indo-Greek kings, Menander was appointed by Eukratides to rule the areas south of the Hindu Kush. His colleages in this task were Apollodotos and, later, Zoilos. According to Buddhist tradition, in which he is named Milinda, Menander was a just and powerful ruler and a convert to Buddhism. You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity. Athena or Athene (Latin: Minerva ), also referred to as Pallas Athena, is the goddess of war, civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill in Greek mythology . Minerva , Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is also a shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patron of Athens . The Athenians built the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honour (Athena Parthenos). Athena's cult as the patron of Athens seems to have existed from the earliest times and was so persistent that archaic myths about her were recast to adapt to cultural changes. In her role as a protector of the city (polis), many people throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena as Athena Polias ("Athena of the city"). Athens and Athena bear etymologically connected names. Menander I Soter "The Saviour" (known as Milind in Indian sources) was the Indo-Greek king (165//155 BC-130 BC) who established a large empire in the South Asia and became a patron of Buddhism Menander was born in the Caucasus , and was initially a king of Bactria . He eventually established an empire in the Indian subcontinent stretching from the Kabul River valley in the west to the Ravi River in the east, and from the Swat River valley in the north to Arachosia (the Helmand Province ). Ancient Indian writers indicate that he launched expeditions southward into Rajasthan and as far east down the Ganges River Valley as Pataliputra (Patna), and the Greek geographer Strabo wrote that he "conquered more tribes than Alexander the Great ." Large numbers of Menander's coins have been unearthed, attesting to both the flourishing commerce and duration of his realm. Menander was also a patron of the Buddism , and his conversations with the Buddhist sage Nagasena is recorded in the important Buddhist work, the Milinda Panha ("The Questions of Milinda"). After his death in 130 BC, he was succeeded by his wife Agathokleia who ruled as regent for his son Strato I . Buddhist tradition relates that he handed over his kingdom to his son and retired from the world, but Plutarch relates that he died in camp while on a military campaign, and that his remains were divided equally between the cities to be enshrined in monuments, probably stupas , across his realm. Indo-Greek ruler His territories covered the eastern dominions of the divided Greek empire of Bactria (modern day or Bactria Province ولایت بلخ) and extended to India (modern day regions of the NWFP , Punjab in Pakistan and Punjab , Haryana and parts of Himachal Pradesh and the Jammu region) in present day India. His capital is supposed to have been Sagala , a prosperous city in northern Punjab (believed to be modern Sialkot ), Pakistan . He is one of the few Bactrian kings mentioned by Greek authors, among them Apollodorus of Artemita , quoted by Strabo , who claims that the Greeks from Bactria were even greater conquerors than Alexander the Great , and that Menander was one of the two Bactrian kings, with Demetrius , who extended their power farthest into India: "The Greeks who caused Bactria to revolt grew so powerful on account of the fertility of the country that they became masters, not only of Ariana, but also of India, as Apollodorus of Artemita says: and more tribes were subdued by them than by Alexander-- by Menander in particular (at least if he actually crossed the Hypanis towards the east and advanced as far as the Imaüs ), for some were subdued by him personally and others by Demetrius , the son of Euthydemus the king of the Bactrians; and they took possession, not only of Patalena , but also, on the rest of the coast, of what is called the kingdom of Saraostus and Sigerdis . In short, Apollodorus says that Bactriana is the ornament of Ariana as a whole; and, more than that, they extended their empire even as far as the Seres and the Phryni ." (Strabo 11.11.1 [6] ) 2. Silver drachm of Menander I (155-130 BC). Obv: Greek legend, ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ (BASILEOS SOTEROS MENANDROU) lit. "Of Saviour King Menander". Rev: Kharosthi legend: MAHARAJA TRATASA MENADRASA "Saviour King Menander". Athena advancing right, with thunderbolt and shield. Taxila mint mark. Strabo also suggests that these Greek conquests went as far as the capital Pataliputra in northeastern India (today Patna ): "Those who came after Alexander went to the Ganges and Pataliputra " (Strabo, 15.698). The Indian records also describe Greek attacks on Mathura , Panchala , Saketa , and Pataliputra . This is particularly the case of some mentions of the invasion by Patanjali around 150 BC, and of the Yuga Purana , which describes Indian historical events in the form of a prophecy: "After having conquered Saketa, the country of the Panchala and the Mathuras , the Yavanas (Greeks), wicked and valiant, will reach Kusumadhvaja. The thick mud-fortifications at Pataliputra being reached, all the provinces will be in disorder, without doubt. Ultimately, a great battle will follow, with tree-like engines (siege engines)." (Gargi-Samhita, Yuga Purana chapter, No5). In the West, Menander seems to have repelled the invasion of the dynasty of Greco-Bactrian usurper Eucratides , and pushed them back as far as the Paropamisadae , thereby consolidating the rule of the Indo-Greek kings in the northern part of the Indian Subcontinent. The Milinda Panha gives some glimpses of his military methods: "Has it ever happened to you, O king, that rival kings rose up against you as enemies and opponents? -Yes, certainly. -Then you set to work, I suppose, to have moats dug, and ramparts thrown up, and watch towers erected, and strongholds built, and stores of food collected? -Not at all. All that had been prepared beforehand. -Or you had yourself trained in the management of war elephants, and in horsemanship, and in the use of the war chariot, and in archery and fencing? -Not at all. I had learnt all that before. -But why? -With the object of warding off future danger." (Milinda Panha, Book III, Chap 7) His reign was long and successful. Generous findings of coins testify to the prosperity and extension of his empire (with finds as far as Britain): the finds of his coins are the most numerous and the most widespread of all the Indo-Greek kings. Precise dates of his reign, as well as his origin, remain elusive however. Guesses among historians have been that Menander was either a nephew or a former general of the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius I , but the two kings are now thought to be separated by at least thirty years. Menander's predecessor in Punjab seems to have been the king Apollodotus I . Menander's empire survived him in a fragmented manner until the last Greek king Strato II disappeared around 10 AD. The 1st-2nd century CE Periplus of the Erythraean Sea further testifies to the reign of Menander and the influence of the Indo-Greeks in India: "To the present day ancient drachmae are current in Barygaza , coming from this country, bearing inscriptions in Greek letters, and the devices of those who reigned after Alexander, Apollodorus [sic] and Menander." -Periplus Chap. 47.[7] Menander was the first Indo-Greek ruler to introduce the representation of Athena Alkidemos ("Athena, saviour of the people") on his coins, probably in reference to a similar statue of Athena Alkidemos in Pella , capital of Macedon . This type was subsequently used by most of the later Indo-Greek kings. The Baktrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms The ancient authors have furnished us with very little information concerning this easternmost of all the Greek realms. Accordingly, the numismatic evidence is of more than usual importance in the attempt to piece together the history of the kings who ruled in Baktria and, later, in the area south of the Hindu Kush. The kingdom was created from the Seleucid province of Baktro-Sogdiana when the satrap Diodotos declared himself independent of Antiochus II about 256 B.C. Antiochus III, at the end of the century, tried unsuccessfully to reimpose Seleucid authority in the area, and early in the 2nd century B.C. King Demetrios of Baktria extended his rule southwards to include former provinces of the Mauryan Empire. The first bilingual coins, with inscriptions in Greek and Karosthi and struck on new 'Indo-Greek' weight standard, date from this time of Greek expansion. Much of Baktria was lost to Scythian invaders about 130 B.C., and before the end of the century what was left of the Indo-Greek kingdom split into eastern and western divisions. By the end of the 1st century B.C. the last traces of Greek rule had disappeared, submerged beneath the tide of Kushan conquest. Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser. Frequently Asked Questions How long until my order is shipped?: Depending on the volume of sales, it may take up to 5 business days for shipment of your order after the receipt of payment. How will I know when the order was shipped?: After your order has shipped, you will be left positive feedback, and that date should be used as a basis of estimating an arrival date. After you shipped the order, how long will the mail take? USPS First Class mail takes about 3-5 business days to arrive in the U.S., international shipping times cannot be estimated as they vary from country to country. I am not responsible for any USPS delivery delays, especially for an international package. 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Price: 250 USD

Location: Rego Park, New York

End Time: 2024-09-02T16:56:10.000Z

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