King Diomedes
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Obv: Helmetted king Diomedes, with bead and reel contour.
Rev: Dioscuri charging, holding victory palms. Greek legend: BASILEOS SOTIROS DIOMEDOY "King Diomedes, The Saviour".
Obv: Helmeted bust of Diomedes. Greek legend BASILEOS SOTEROS DIOMEDOU "Saviour King Diomedes"
Rev: Standing Dioscuri (type of Eucratides). Kharoshti legend: MAHARAJASA TRATARASA DIYUMETASA "Saviour King Diomedes".
Diomedes was an Indo-Greek king. The findplaces of his coins seem to indicate that his rule was based in the area of the Paropamisadae, possibly with temporary dominions further east. Judging from their similar portraits and many overlapping monograms, the young Diomedes seems to have been the heir (and probably a relative) of Philoxenus, the last king to rule before the kingdom of Menander I finally fragmented.
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[edit] Time of reign
Bopearachchi dates Diomedes to c. 95-90 BCE and R.C. Senior to c. 115-105 BCE.
[edit] Coins of Diomedes
Diomedes depicted the Dioscurion his coins, either on horseback or standing: both types were previously used by Eucratides I. It is however uncertain how the two were related, since Eucratides I died long before Diomedes.
Diomedes minted both Attic-type coins (Greco-Bactrian style, with Greek legend only), and bilingual coins (with Greek and Kharoshthi), indicating that he was ruling in the western part of the Indo-Greek territory.
[edit] Overstrikes
One overstrike is known, of a coin of Strato and Agathokleia over a coin of Diomedes, . This overstrike could indicate that Diomedes fought over the central areas of the Indo-Greek territories with Strato and Agathokleia.
| Preceded by: Philoxenus |
Indo-Greek Ruler (Paropamisadae) (95-90 BCE) |
Succeeded by: Theophilos |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bopearachchi, "De l'Indus à l'Oxus", p129
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
- Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
- Seleucid Empire
- Greco-Buddhism
- Indo-Scythians
- Indo-Parthian Kingdom
- Kushan Empire
[edit] References
- Tarn, W. W. (1984). The Greeks in Bactria and India. Chicago: Ares. ISBN 0-89005-524-6.
- Bopearachchi, Osmund (2003). De l'Indus à l'Oxus, Archéologie de l'Asie Centrale (in French). Lattes: Association imago-musée de Lattes. ISBN 2-9516679-2-2.
