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AV Quarter Stater - Menander I
| Issuer | Indo-Greek Kingdom (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 165 BC - 130 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Athena Alkidemos striding vigorously to the right, her left arm extended forward bearing the aegis as a shield, while her right arm is raised and poised to hurl a thunderbolt. The goddess is depicted in Hellenistic style with flowing drapery. A dynastic monogram appears in the right field, and a Kharosthi legend encircles the design. |
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| Additional information |
Menander I — known in Buddhist texts as Milinda — is the only Indo-Greek king whose philosophical exchanges were considered significant enough to be preserved in Pali canon, the Milindapañha recording his debates with the monk Nagasena. Whether his apparent conversion to Buddhism was genuine or politically calculated remains unresolved among scholars. His kingdom stretched from Arachosia into the Punjab, the largest territorial extent achieved by any Indo-Greek ruler.
Bopearachchi's series 2A places this quarter stater among the earliest of his gold issues, a denomination minted in far smaller quantities than the silver drachms that dominated everyday exchange in Gandhara.