An educational page about ancient coins of india and bactria. This bibliography is intended to complement rachel mairs the archaeology of the hellenistic far east. Ancient greek coins ar tetradrachm 171160 bc, antimachos 171160 b. Discussion in ancient coins started by 4to2centbc, nov 2, 2015. Bactrian and indoscythian kingdoms, diodotos i and ii in the name of antiochos ii theos of seleukid kingdom, av stater, c.
Greek civilization in bactria was overwhelmed towards the end of the first. On their campaigns they clashed with the etruscans, the romans and the greeks, they fought as mercenaries under philip ii and alexander the great. Bactria was a greek kingdom, established when it broke away from the seleukid kingdom. Ancient greek coins ancient coins of the near east. Nov 02, 2015 i did not find many posts here about bactrian or baktrian coins, so i thought i might start one. Bactrian kingdom coins the bactrian kingdom was the easternmost part of the hellenistic world which was created by the conquests of the macedonian king alexander the great. Whether old coins, or more recent commemorating important.
Click here for the baktria page with thumbnail images. Find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Unfortunately, there is an overwhelming amount of information out there and a good bit of it is either confusing or misleading. Cribbs analysis is framed in his concept of a coinage tradition, which allows the numismatic evidence to be studied in a grounded manner. Cyrus the great in the 6th century bce conquered bactria and it remained under persian rule for the next 2. Chronology of the indobactrian rulers is based largely on numismatic evidence. Some of the earliest greek coinage struck in baktria is attributed to the mint of ai khanoum, a lost city rediscovered only in 19612. It seems less refined than other issues, so it may be a local reproduction that doesnt mean its not a genuine old coin, though designs of established denominations were often reused locally. The actual series of bactrian coins opens with a didrachm of diodotus, no. Here is a guide to what might be considered as the top ten musthave coin tools that the more advanced collectors have in their arsenal.
It covered bactria and sogdiana in central asia from 250 to 125 bc, while an expansion of its armies into northern india from 180 bc established the indo. The barakat gallery, a fifthgeneration familyowned business, founded in jerusalem over 100 years ago. Baktria, kings, diodotos i, ancient coins index with. Baktria, diodotos i av stater in the name of antiochos ii of syria. Ons news london meeting from the editor speakers at the meeting held on 26 april 2008 at the british museum were. The empires of alexander and his general seleucus extended to afghanistan, so it would have been a regional currency. I meant to show off this guy again for this thread. If you are in possession of a collection of old coins, youve.
The bactrian kingdom was the easternmost of the hellenistic greek kingdoms of the successors of alexander the great. They were treasure troves of information with names and portraits of the kings. The grecobactrian kingdom was one of the successor states descended from alexander the greats empire, carved out of. Actually, the metal they were using was really a natural alloy of copper and nickel. Pdf this article focuses on coins inscribed with the name. Jul 20, 2005 turkosogdian coinage, issues of the khaqans. Unlike the much later british version, we might presume the bactrian version. Bactrianumis ancient and islamic rare coins, antiques. The coins of the greek and scythic kings of bactria and india in the british museum. The coins of the graecobactrian period preserve the finest in hellenistic portraiture. I have a very small collection of coins, but it is growing and this is one of my favorites. If you are in possession of a collection of old coins, youve no doubt wondered how to determine whether or not your coins are rare or valuable. I did not find many posts here about bactrian or baktrian coins, so i thought i might start one.
Sng ans 9 graecobactrian and indogreek coins sylloge nummorum graecorum. Bactrian greeks, ar drachm, heliokles i bactrianumis. He might have been a son of demetrius and one of his subkings in charge of the paropamisade between bactria and india. Convert pdf to txt, bmp, jpg, gif, png, wmf, emf, eps, tiff. Because it was struck in silver, the public hoarded it along with other coins when the civil war broke out. The reader will do well to bear in mind that a plausible or possible explanation or reconstruction, is far from a certain one, and often by no means the only one. Most of the history of bactria was surmised from their coins and other collateral evidence. The descendants of the grecobactrian king euthydemus invaded northern india. Reproducible worksheets these worksheets practice math concepts explained ini can count bills and coins isbn. This and the other indogreek coins issued by eucratides demonstrate that he had an extensive kingdom in gandhara in addition to his bactrian domains. The third arm of the greco bactrian army was the indian war elephants, which are depicted in some coins with a tower thorakion or howdah housing men armed with bows and javelins.
Although the term kushan is known in ancient sources, it is often used to refer to a dynasty other than the one designated by modern historians. This force grew as the greco bactrian kingdom expanded into india and was widely depicted in greco bactrian coinage. Greek king heliokles ii, who copied the coins of his namesake, introduced the. If you are in possession of a collection of old coins, you. In that case, he was a grandson of euthydemus whom he qualified on his coins as. The bactrian kingdom was the easternmost part of the hellenistic world which was created by the conquests of the macedonian king alexander the great. The internet would seem like a logical place to go for more information. Iits like a scene right out of an indiana jones film. E antioxoy, zeus walking left, brandishing thunderbolt in right hand, aegis draped over extended left arm. View more articles from journal of the royal asiatic society of great britain and ireland.
The baktrians had no idea that they were producing nickel coins. Offering roman coins, greek coins, ancient coins, british coins, medieval coins, coin auctions, renaissance coins, indian coins, rare coins, celtic coins, european. Silver drachm depicting king on his galloping horse, and on reverse. Hermaios about 20 bc but none have the horizontal text, text like that is usually associated with the romans but two bactrian rulers did mint coins like that eucratides i about 150bc. To access the full database of over 5 million records, please consult coinarchives pro.
The coins of the greek and scythic kings of bactria and india in the. It originated around 256 bc when diodotus i declared himself independent of the seleukid king antiochos ii. Grecobactrian coins in the lahori museum history of macedonia. Chronology of the indo bactrian rulers is based largely on numismatic evidence. Bactrian coins came from ai khanum as a result of clandestine diggings.
Cyrus the great in the 6th century bce conquered bactria and it remained under persian rule for the next 200 years as a bactrian satrapy. May 26, 2009 grecobactrian coins in the lahori museum 1908 in ancient macedonian kings, archaeology by admin on may 26, 2009 at 2. The graecobactrian kingdom the easternmost region of the hellenistic world covering bactria northern afghanistan and lands to the north known in ancient times as sogdiana, in presentday turkmenistan, uzbekistan and tajikistan was one consequence of the sojourn through afghanistan by alexander the great, whose army built fortresses. When you hold a 50, 200 or 2,000yearold coin in your hand, you cant help but imagine where it might have been in its lifetime.
Indobactrian empire of india bactria zariaspa was an ancient country lying between the mountains of the hindu kush and the amu darya present day afghanistan, uzbekistan, and tajikistan. The third arm of the grecobactrian army was the indian war elephants, which are depicted in some coins with a tower thorakion or howdah housing men armed with bows and javelins. A free to view alternative and through coin archives see 3. The bactrian group, which was composed primarily of greeks in the 3rd century bc overthrew the morian empire, which was based in india and had taken over parts of afghanistan. Offering roman coins, greek coins, ancient coins, british coins, medieval coins, coin auctions, renaissance coins, indian coins, rare coins, celtic coins, european coins, jewish coins.
This force grew as the grecobactrian kingdom expanded into india and was widely depicted in grecobactrian coinage. Baktria, diodotus i as satrap for antiochus ii theos, c. On their campaigns the celts encountered many exotic things coins, for. The bactrians would have a dramatic influence on afghanistan particularly in terms of trade. The bactrian coins are renowned throughout the world. Its latter name comes from arsaces i who, as leader of the parni tribe, founded it in the mid3rd century bc when he conquered the region of parthia in irans northeast, then a satrapy province under. Poseidon standing facing, holding trident and palm branch. You can select to see all the coins of a particular king from the options below and they will then be displayed on another page, those images can be moved by. Usually the less expensive varieties of microscopes have optics of rather inferior quality, which offer the viewer a frequently blurred image at best, so it is a good idea to pay for as high a quality microscope as possible. Within the indogreek kingdom there were over 30 kings, often in competition on different territories. Bactrian kingdom menander i soter atelier incertain c.
The bactrian kingdom spawned a number of greek monarchies to the east. Pdf reader for windows 10 free download and software. The notion of a kushan dynasty or of a kushan period is entirely that of modern historians. Kritt, brian, new discoveries in bactrian numismatics classical numismatic studies no.
A bibliography of the numismatics of the hellenistic far. Bactrian coins is an article from journal of the royal asiatic society of great britain and ireland, volume 20. Featured is a tetradrachm of eucratides i of the hellenistic kingdom of grecobactria. The coins of the greek and scythic kings of bactria. Online orders are welcome as always and will be shipped directly. Diodotus i was the seleukid governor of baktrosogdiana early in antiochos iis reign. Ancient coins grecobactrian tetradrachm of eucratides. Graecobactrian and indogreek coins a bibliography of the. Unlike the much later british version, we might presume the bactrian version shown on coins was made of metal. This very indic square drachma of apollodotuss features not only kharoshthi script, but an indic elephant and zebu as well. The bactrian coins were issued in bactria only, north of the hindu kush mountains, while the indogreek coins were issued south of the hindu kush. Hey folks, with edge being the default pdf reader on windows 10 i just wanted to urge everyone to download an alternative viewer. A precisioncrafted digital scale is an absolute necessity for anyone planning to move into the intermediate or advanced category of coin collecting.
The elephant skin headdress grabbed me aktria, grecobaktrian kingdom. Specialising in classical antiquities, near eastern, biblical, chinese, precolumbian, byzantine, asian, african and primitive arts, the business expanded from a small shop in the jerusalem souq into a dealership with global reach, and a presence in most of the worlds major artbuying centres. I recently discovered that edge struggles to render some pdf documents. The usual view is that mithridates i ascended the throne c.
Find the best selection from the most respected coins dealers around the world. It is hoped that the current work will be of similar use in gathering material concerning the. The existence of the coinage points to the khaqans consolidation of political and economic power and control over local rulers. Only bactrian i have, but i do enjoy the look of these coins, and am tempted to seek out more and i love the op coin. Indo bactrian empire of india bactria zariaspa was an ancient country lying between the mountains of the hindu kush and the amu darya present day afghanistan, uzbekistan, and tajikistan. It covered bactria and sogdiana in central asia from 250 to 125 bc, while an expansion of its armies into northern india from 180 bc established the indogreek kingdom. Pdf a flood of fake bactrian coins robert bracey academia. History of macedonia grecobactrian coins in the lahori.
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