1 Drachm - Sapalbizes

Sapalbizes ruled a Yuezhi sub-kingdom in Bactria during the turbulent interregnum between the collapse of Indo-Greek power and the consolidation of the Kushan empire. His coinage closely imitates Indo-Greek prototypes — a deliberate choice by a nomadic ruling class asserting legitimacy over sedentary Greek-influenced populations they had displaced after pushing south across the Oxus in the late 2nd century BC. The specific tribal affiliation of Sapalbizes within the Yuezhi confederation remains debated; he may represent one of the five *xihou* recorded in Chinese sources.