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Æ Obol - Hippostratos

Issuer Kings of Baktria
Year 65 BC - 55 BC
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Shape Round
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Obverse description Apollo standing facing, turned slightly to the right, depicted in the Hellenistic tradition with a youthful, unbearded figure. The deity holds an arrow with both hands, arms extended before him. The Greek legend encircles the central device within the field, rendered in a bold, slightly irregular strike characteristic of Indo-Greek coinage. The overall composition reflects the Hellenized artistic idiom prevalent in the Baktrian royal series.
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Obverse lettering BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHΡΩΣ IΠΠOΣTΡATOΥ
(Translation: King Hippostratos, Protector)
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Additional information

Hippostratos ruled in the fragmenting eastern reaches of the Indo-Greek kingdoms during a period when Greek dynastic control over Baktria had already collapsed under Saka and Yuezhi pressure. His coinage is bilingual by necessity — Greek on one face, Kharoshthi on the other — reflecting the administrative reality of governing a population for whom Hellenistic script carried no practical meaning. Bop 8A is among the heavier copper issues attributed to him, suggesting it circulated in a region where fractional bronze denominations still commanded enough daily commerce to justify the metal.

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