Zoilos II

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Coin of king Zoilos II (55–35 BCE).
Obv: Bust of Zoilos II with Greek legend ΒΑΣΗΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΖΟΗΛΟΥ ("Basileos Sotiros Zoilou") "King Zoilos the Saviour".
Rev: Athena advancing left, with thunderbolt and shield covered with aegis (type of Menander I). Kharosthi legend: MAHARAJASA TRATARASA JHOILASA "King Zoilos the Saviour".

Zoilos II "The Saviour" (reigned c. 55–35 BCE) was an Indo-Greek king who ruled for a short time in eastern Punjab in what is today northern Pakistan. He may have been a successor or a sub-king of Menander II, although their relationship is unclear.

Many of the mint marks (monograms) on the coins of Zoilos II are in Kharoshti, indicating that they were probably made by an Indian moneyer. This is a characteristic of several of the Indo-Greek kings of the eastern Punjab, such as Strato I, Apollodotus II, and sometimes Apollophanes and Dionysios. Furthermore, the monogram is often identical on their coins, indicating that the moneyer, or the place of mint, were the same.

1 Coin types of Zoilos II
2 Monograms
3 Findplaces
4 Notes
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Coin types of Zoilos II

Zoilos II has three main types of coins: "King in profile, with Athena and trident", "Apollo, with tripod and small elephant", "Elephant and tripod".

Zoilos II with Athena.

Apollo holding arrow, with small elephant on the left. Tripod on reverse.

Elephant and tripod.

[edit] Monograms

The coins of Zoilos II combine Greek monograms with Kharoshthi ones, indicating that some of the celators may have been native Indians. The Kharoshthi monograms are the letters for: sti, ji, ra, ga, gri, ha, stri, ri, bu, a, di, stra, and śi. The "Apollo and tripod" and "Elephant and tripod" types only have Kharoshthi monograms, while the portrait types usually have combinations of Greek and Kharoshthi monograms.

[edit] Findplaces

The coins of Zoilos II have been found in the Satlej and Sialkot II hoards, and in Punjab hoards east in the Jhelum (Bopearachchi, p138).

Also, coins of Zoilos II were found under the foundation of 1st century BCE stupas in the monastery of Dharmarajika, near Taxila (John Marshall, "Taxila, Archaeological excavations".)

Two coins of Zoilos II were also found in the Bara hoard near Peshawar, together with coins of the Indo-Scythian kings Azes I, Azilises, Azes II.^[1]

Preceded by:
Dionysios

Indo-Greek Ruler
(Eastern Punjab)
(55 - 35 BCE)

Succeeded by:
Apollophanes

Territories/ Dates	PAROPAMISADAE	ARACHOSIA	GANDHARA	WESTERN PUNJAB	EASTERN PUNJAB
INDO-GREEK KINGS AND THEIR TERRITORIES Based on Bopearachchi (1991)
200-190 BCE	Demetrius I
190-180 BCE	Agathocles	Pantaleon
185-170 BCE	Antimachus I
180-160 BCE	Apollodotus I
175-170 BCE	Demetrius II
160-155 BCE	Antimachus II
170-145 BCE	Eucratides
155-130 BCE	Menander I
130-120 BCE	Zoilos I		Agathokleia
120-110 BCE	Lysias		Strato I
110-100 BCE	Antialcidas		Heliokles II
100 BCE	Polyxenios		Demetrius III
100-95 BCE	Philoxenus
95-90 BCE	Diomedes	Amyntas		Epander
90 BCE	Theophilos	Peukolaos		Thraso
90-85 BCE	Nicias	Menander II		Artemidoros
90-70 BCE	Hermaeus	Archebios
	Yuezhi tribes		Maues (Indo-Scythian)
75-70 BCE			Telephos	Apollodotus II
65-55 BCE				Hippostratos	Dionysios
55-35 BCE				Azes I (Indo-Scythian)	Zoilos II
55-35 BCE					Apollophanes
25 BCE- 10 CE					Strato II
					Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian)