Indo-Greek Silver Drachm of Apollodotus I, 174 BCE - 165 BCE
Silver
LC.224
Obverse: Elephant standing right, monogram below. Inscription: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΠΟΛΛΟΔΟΤΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ (‘of saviour king Apollodotus’). Reverse: Zebu bull standing right. Apollodotus I was one of the generals of Demetrius I of...
Obverse: Elephant standing right, monogram below. Inscription: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΠΟΛΛΟΔΟΤΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ (‘of saviour king Apollodotus’).
Reverse: Zebu bull standing right.
Apollodotus I was one of the generals of Demetrius I of Bactria, the Greco-Bactrian king who invaded northern India in 180 BC. He issued bilingual square coins and ruled an Indo-Greek kingdom between 174-165 BC that stretched from Taxila in the Punjab to areas of Sindh. There are several theories regarding the symbolism of the animals. The elephant on the obverse may be a symbol of the city of Taxila. Alternatively, it may refer to the Buddhist legend in which a white elephant enters the womb of Maya, the Buddha’s mother, in a dream. The bull may also represent a city or a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva.
Reverse: Zebu bull standing right.
Apollodotus I was one of the generals of Demetrius I of Bactria, the Greco-Bactrian king who invaded northern India in 180 BC. He issued bilingual square coins and ruled an Indo-Greek kingdom between 174-165 BC that stretched from Taxila in the Punjab to areas of Sindh. There are several theories regarding the symbolism of the animals. The elephant on the obverse may be a symbol of the city of Taxila. Alternatively, it may refer to the Buddhist legend in which a white elephant enters the womb of Maya, the Buddha’s mother, in a dream. The bull may also represent a city or a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva.