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Hemi Drachm - Polyxenus Usurper
| Issuer | Indo-Greek Kingdom (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 100 BC - 95 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm (200 BC to 10 AC) |
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| Reverse description | A double-winged Nike or eagle figure stands facing in the central field of the square flan, rendered in the Hellenistic style typical of late Indo-Greek bronze coinage. The design is executed in low relief with bold, somewhat stylised lines characteristic of hammered copper issues of this period. The Kharosthi legend surrounds the central device along the borders of the square, reading maharajasa pratapasa tratarasa palukhinasa, providing the Prakrit equivalent of the obverse Greek royal titles and name. The reverse field shows patches of original green patina consistent with copper corrosion over two millennia. |
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| Reverse lettering | 𐨨𐨱𐨪𐨗𐨯 𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨕𐨕𐨯 𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨟𐨪𐨯 𐨤𐨫𐨐𐨁𐨣𐨯 |
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| Additional information |
Polyxenus is one of the more obscure figures in the tangled succession of Indo-Greek rulers — known almost entirely through his coins rather than any literary source. He appears to have controlled a limited territory, possibly in the Paropamisadae or the eastern Punjab, during the late second century BC when the kingdom was fracturing under pressure from Scythian incursions from the northwest. The "usurper" designation reflects numismatic convention more than certainty; whether he seized power or simply governed a rump territory after a dynastic collapse is unresolved.
Mitchiner's MIG 300 records relatively few die varieties, suggesting a short or geographically constrained issue.