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Tetradrachm - Apollodotus Pushkalavati
| Issuer | Indo-Greek Kingdom (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 186 BC - 160 BC |
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| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped and helmeted bust of King Apollodotus I in right profile, wearing a crested Macedonian helmet with a distinctive curved brim. The effigy is rendered in the Hellenistic portrait tradition, with finely detailed facial features. A dotted border frames the entire field. The portrait exhibits the bold, high-relief style characteristic of early Indo-Greek coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Athena Alkidemos seated three-quarters right upon a throne or rock, wearing a chiton and peplos, her right hand extended and left hand resting at her side. A caduceus appears to the left field, and a monogram is visible below the figure. The Greek royal legend is arranged vertically in two columns flanking the deity, reading ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ to the left and ΑΠΟΛΛΟΔΟΤΟΥ to the right. A dotted border surrounds the entire design. |
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| Additional information |
Apollodotus I ruled the eastern satrapies of the Indo-Greek realm and was among the first Greek kings to issue coinage specifically for Indian circulation rather than adapting western Hellenistic formats. This tetradrachm belongs to his square-flan series — a deliberate concession to Indian monetary conventions at a time when round Greek coinage was largely unfamiliar in the Indus valley markets. The mint at Pushkalavati, near modern Charsadda in Pakistan, served as his administrative capital in Gandhara.
Bopearachchi's classification of this type as 1A places it among the earliest attributable issues of the reign.