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Peucolaus

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Peucolaus Soter Dicaeus
Portrait of Peucolaus
Indo-Greekking
Reignc. 90 BCE
Peucolaos Tetradrachm.ObvDiademed king, legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ KAI ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ/ ΠΕΥΚΟΛΑΟΥ "King Peucolaus, the Just and the Saviour".Rev.Maharajasa dhramikasa tratarasa/ Piükulaäsa""King Peucolaus, follower of the Dharma and Saviour ".Zeusmaking a blessing gesture.[1]
Coin of Peucolaus. Obverse:Artemisstanding facing, drawing arrow from quiver. Reverse: Goddess standing left, holding a flower and palm. Similar to the goddess ofPushkalavation a coin of that city.[2]

Peucolaus Soter Dicaeus(Ancient Greek:Πευκόλαος Σωτήρ Δίκαιος,romanized:Peukolaos Sōtēr Dikaios;epithetsmean respectively, "the Saviour", "the Just" ) was anIndo-Greekking who ruled in the area ofGandharac. 90 BCE. His reign was probably short and insignificant, since he left only a few coins, but the relations of the latter Indo-Greek kings remain largely obscure.

His name was previously interpreted as "The man fromPushkalavati".Pushkalavati was the historic capital of Gandhara located in theValley of Peshawar.However the namePeucolausis a Greek name found mainly in ancientMacedoniaand derived from the words πεύκη ( "pine" ) and λαός ( "people" ). This was also the name of one of the men who planned to assassinateAlexander the Greatin the 4th century BCE.[3]

Coinage[edit]

Peucolaus struck rare Indian standard silver coins with portrait in diadem, and a reverse of a standing Zeus, which resemble the reverse of contemporary kingsHeliokles IIandArchebios.The latter has overstruck two coins of Peucolaos.

He also issued bilingual bronzes withArtemisand a crowned woman with a palm branch, perhaps a city-goddess or a personification ofTyche,the deity for good luck.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Monnaies Greco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques", Osmund Bopearachchi, Bibliotheque Nationale, 1991, p.309
  2. ^Di Castro, Angelo Andrea (January 2017). "Crowns, Horns and Goddesses Appropriation of Symbols in Gandhāra and Beyond". In Bapat, Jayant Bhalchandra; Mabbett, Ian (eds.).Conceiving the Goddess: transformation and appropriation in Indic religions.Monash University Publishing. pp. 38–39.
  3. ^"User-submitted name Peukolaos - Behind the Name".behindthename.Retrieved2024-06-19.

Bibliography[edit]

  • The Greeks in Bactria and India,W. W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.
  • The Coin Types of the Indo-Greek Kings, 256-54 B.C.,A. K. Narain
  • Le Roi Peukolaos

External links[edit]

Preceded by Indo-Greek Ruler
(inArachosia,Gandhara)

c. 90 BCE
Succeeded by