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Archebius

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ArchebiusDikaios Nikephoros( "The Just and Victorious" )
Portrait of Archebios on one of histetradrachms
Indo-Greekking
Reign90–80 BCE
Tetradrachm of Archebios.
Obv: Helmetted king Archebius. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΕΒΙΟΥ "Of King Archebius the Just and Victorious"
Rev:Zeus,withKharoshthilegend: MAHARAJASA DHRAMIKASA JAYADHARASA ARKHEBIYASA "Archebios, the victorious king of theDharma.
Coin of Archebius.
Obv: Bareheaded king Archebius. With Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΕΒΙΟΥ "Of King Archebius the Just and Victorious"
Rev:Zeus,withKharoshthilegend: MAHARAJASA DHRAMIKASA JAYADHARASA ARKHEBIYASA "Archebios, the victorious king of theDharma.
Coin of Archebius.
Obv: Helmetted king Archebius holding a spear. With Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΕΒΙΟΥ "Of King Archebius the Just and Victorious"
Rev:Zeus,withKharoshthilegend: MAHARAJASA DHRAMIKASA JAYADHARASA ARKHEBIYASA "Archebios, the victorious king of theDharma.
Archebios coin with elephant and owl.

Archebius Dikaios Nikephoros(Greek:Ἀρχέβιος ὁ Δίκαιος, ὁ Νικηφόρος;epithetsmean respectively, "the Just", "the Victorious"; formerly read as "Archelius"[1][2]) was anIndo-Greekking who ruled in the area ofTaxila.Osmund Bopearachchidates him to c. 90–80 BCE, and R. C. Senior to about the same period. He was probably one of the last Indo-Greek kings before theSakakingMauesconquered Taxila, and a contemporary ofHermaeusin the west. He may have been a relative ofHeliokles II,who used a similar reverse and also the title Dikaios.[citation needed]

Coin types[edit]

Archebius' name means "ruler of life" deriving from ἄρχω ( “to rule” ) and βίος ( "life” ).[citation needed]He issued silver with diademed or helmeted king, sometimes in spear-throwing pose. On the reverse is Zeus standing facing, holding a thunderbolt or on some issues an aegis.

Archebius also struck a rare series of Attic tetradrachms, found in Bactria.

He also issued bronzes withNikeon one side and an owl on the other.

Overstrikes[edit]

Archebius overstruck two coins ofPeukolaos.

References[edit]

  1. ^"In the Masson collection of 1836 were found Archebius ( read at the time as 'Archelius')" inImam, Abu (1966).Sir Alexander Cunningham and the Beginnings of Indian Archaeology.Asiatic Society of Pakistan. p. 134.
  2. ^Prinsep, James.Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol V 1836.pp. 548–549.

External links[edit]

Preceded byas ruler in Arachosia and Gandhara Indo-Greekruler inArachosia,GandharaandPunjab
90–80 BCE
Succeeded byasIndo-Scythianking
Preceded byas ruler in Punjab