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Tetradrachm - Hermaeus Soter with Calliope
| Issuer | Indo-Greek Kingdom (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 90 BC - 70 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm (200 BC to 10 AC) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ EPMAIOY KAI KAΛΛIOΠHΣ (Translation: From King Hermaios, the Saviour, with Calliope) |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Hermaeus was almost certainly the last Indo-Greek king to issue silver coinage in any significant volume, ruling a kingdom already contracting under sustained Yuezhi pressure from the north. His tetradrachms are notably debased compared to earlier Indo-Greek issues, the silver progressively diluted as fiscal and territorial control eroded through his reign. The bilingual legends — Greek obverse, Kharosthi reverse — reflect the administrative reality of governing a population for whom Greek was never a vernacular.
The Calliope association on this type remains imperfectly explained in the scholarly literature.