Amyntas Nicator
Amyntas | |
---|---|
![]() Portrait of young Amyntas | |
Indo-Greekking | |
Reign | 95–90 BCE |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Amyntas_Tetradrachm.jpg/330px-Amyntas_Tetradrachm.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Coin_of_Amyntas_Nicator.jpg/330px-Coin_of_Amyntas_Nicator.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Amyntas_with_Zeus-Mitra.jpg)
Amyntas Nicator(Ancient Greek:Ἀμύντας Νικάτωρ,romanized:Amýntas Nikátōr;epithetmeans "the Victorious" ) was anIndo-Greekking. His coins have been found both in easternPunjabandAfghanistan,indicating that he ruled a considerable territory.
Date[edit]
Bopearachchi places Amyntas c. 95–90 BCE, whereas Senior places him c. 80–65 BCE.
Coinage[edit]
Amyntas struck bilingual silver coins with a variety of portraits. Most of these bear the reverse of sitting Zeus holding a victory palm and a small statue of Athena, which according to RC Senior may have indicated an alliance between the house ofMenander Iand the house ofAntialcidas.Some of his coins feature the reverse of fighting Athena typical for Menander's descendants. The epithet Nikator (Victor) was previously only used on the Bactrian coins ofAgathocles,a century before Amyntas' reign.
His bronzes feature the syncretic deity Zeus-Mithrawearing aphrygian capand Athena standing at rest, both forming the vitarka mudra.
Amyntas also minted some spectacular Attic coins, the largest silver coins ofAntiquity:double-decadrachms, of a weight of 85g. These huge coins were found on the archeological site ofQunduzinAfghanistan.Some of these coins use his ordinary Zeus reverse, but some of them usedTychein an identical position.
Overstrikes[edit]
Amyntas is known to have overstruck coins ofHeliokles II.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Bopearachchi, Osmund(2003).De l'Indus à l'Oxus, Archéologie de l'Asie Centrale(in French). Lattes: Association imago-musée de Lattes. p. 129.ISBN2-9516679-2-2.
Further reading[edit]
- Tarn, W. W.(1984).The Greeks in Bactria and India.Chicago: Ares.ISBN0-89005-524-6.
- Narain, A.K. (1976).The Coin Types of the Indo-Greek Kings, 256–54 B.C.Chicago.ISBN0-89005-109-7.
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