Philoxenus | |
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Indo-Greek king | |
Silver tetradrachm of king Philoxenus. Obv: Helmetted, diademed and draped bust of Philoxenus. Greek legend BASILEOS ANIKETOU PHILOXENOU "Undefeatable King Philoxenus" Rev: King on prancing horse in military dress. Kharoshti legend MAHARAJASA APADIHATASA PHILASINASA "Undefeatable King Philoxenus". |
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Reign | 100 BCE - 95 BCE |
Philoxenus (lit. "Friend of foreigners"), called Anicetus (Greek Aniketos, "the Undefeatable"), was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the region spanning the Paropamisade to Punjab. Philoxenus seems to have been quite an important king who might briefly have ruled most of the Indo-Greek territory. Bopearachchi dates Philoxenus to c. 100-95 BCE and R.C. Senior to c. 125-110 BCE.
Historians have not yet connected Philoxenus with any dynasty, but he could have been the father of the princess Kalliope, who was married to the king Hermaeus.
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Philoxenus struck several series of bilingual Indian silver coins, with a reverse of a mounted king, a type previously used as obverse by Antimachus II sixty years earlier and as reverse on rare types of Nicias. Whether the horseman was a dynastic emblem or a portrait of the king as a cavalleryman is unclear. Several Saka kings used similar horsemen on their coinage.
His drachms were square, another feature that was rare among Indo-Greeks but standard for Sakas, and this indicates that Philoxenus had connections with the nomads that had conquered Bactria.
Philoxenus struck bronzes with female deity/bull, or Helios/Nike.
Philoxenus also minted some Attic-type tetradrachms (with Greek legend only), meant for circulation in Bactria.
One overstrike is known, of Epander over Philoxenus.
Preceded by: (In the Paropamisade, Arachosia and Gandhara) Antialcidas (In Punjab) Demetrios III or Polyxenios |
Indo-Greek Ruler (Paropamisade, Arachosia, Gandhara and Punjab) (100-95 BCE) |
Succeeded by: (In the Paropamisade) Diomedes (In Arachosia and Gandhara) Amyntas (In Punjab) Epander |
INDO-GREEK KINGS AND THEIR TERRITORIES Based on Bopearachchi (1991) |
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Territories/ Dates |
PAROPAMISADE |
ARACHOSIA | GANDHARA | WESTERN PUNJAB | EASTERN PUNJAB | |||||||
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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 & III | |||||||||||
Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian) |