Zoilus II

Zoilus II Soter ( "The Saviour" )
Zoilus II Soter ( "The Saviour" )
	Portrait of Zoilus II
Indo-Greekking
Reign	55–35 BC

Zoilus II Soter(Ancient Greek:Ζωΐλος Σωτήρ,romanized:Zōïlos Sōtēr;epithetmeans "the Saviour" ) was anIndo-Greekking who ruled in easternPunjab.Bopearachchi dates his reign to c. 55–35 BC, a date approximately supported by R. C. Senior. It is possible that some of his coins were issued by a separate king, Zoilus III.

Rule[edit]

Zoilus seems to have been one of the rulers who succeeded the last important Indo-Greek kingApollodotus IIin the eastern parts of his former kingdom. All these kings use the same symbol as Apollodotus II, the fightingPallas Atheneintroduced by Menander I, and usually also the same epithetSoter(Saviour). It is therefore possible that they belonged to the same dynasty, and Zoilus II could also have been related to the earlier kingZoilus I,but the lack of written sources make all such conjections uncertain.

He may have been the Bactrian ally ofMark AntonyandCleopatra VIIreferred to byVirgilin his vision of theBattle of Actiumin:

Hinc ope barbarica variisque Antonius armis,
victor ab Aurorae populis et litore rubro,
Aegyptum viresque Orientis et ultima secum
Bactra vehit.

Antony, with barbarous wealth and strange weapons, conqueror of eastern peoples and the Indian shores, bringing Egypt,
and the might of the Orient, with him, and furthest Bactria.

—Virgil,TheAeneid,8.688^[1]

Coinage[edit]

Zoilus II issued silver drachms with diademed portrait and Pallas Athene in rather crude style, and two sorts of bronzes in various denominations: "Apollo, with tripod and small elephant", and "Elephant and tripod".

Zoilus III, a separate king?[edit]

The portraits attributed to Zoilus II could be divided into two groups; one depicting a balding man with hollow cheeks, the other a seemingly younger man with a fringe and round cheeks. As numismatic evidence indicates that the younger portraits are later, recent research has suggested that they be attributed to a younger king, Zoilus III Soter, who would then have been a son and successor of the older Zoilos.^[2]

In particular, the mint mark which is characteristic of the coins of Zoilos with a full head of hair, is a later mint mark used down to the last Indo-Greek kingsStrato IIandStrato III,suggesting a later reign for Zoilus III.^[2]This mint-mark however was never used by the "balding" Zoilus II, or by any king before him.^[2]

Indo-Scythian imitations[edit]

TheIndo-ScythiankingBhadayasaalso copied coins of Zoilus II, or the hypothetical Zoilus III, only mentioning his own name on theKharoshthilegend of his coins.^[2]

The "boxy" mint mark characteristic of Zoilus III and later Indo-Greek kings.
Another coin of the proposed Zoilus III.
Coin ofBhadayasa,an imitation of the proposed Zoilus IIII.

Monograms[edit]

Many of themonogramson the coins of Zoilus II are in Kharoshti, indicating that they were probably made by an Indian moneyer. This is a characteristic of several of the Indo-Greek kings of the eastern Punjab, such asStrato I,Apollodotus II,and sometimesApollophanesandDionysios.Furthermore, the monogram is often identical on their coins, indicating that the moneyer, or the place of mint, were the same.

The coins of Zoilus II combine Greek monograms withKharoshthiones, indicating that some of thecelatorsmay have been native Indians. TheKharoshthimonograms are the letters for: sti, ji, ra, ga, gri, ha, stri, ri, bu, a, di, stra, and śi. The "Apollo and tripod" and "Elephant and tripod" types only have Kharoshthi monograms, while the portrait types usually have combinations of Greek and Kharoshthi monograms. The monogram 62 (below) has been shown to be the last Indo-Greek monogram, and only appears on the younger portraits that may belong to Zoilus III.

Findspots[edit]

Coin of Zoilus II/III, younger portrait.

Coins of Zoilus II were found under a peripheral stupa in theDharmarajikaBuddhist monastery.

The coins of Zoilus II have been found in theSutlejandSialkotII hoards, and inPunjabhoards east in theJhelum(Bopearachchi,p138).

Also, 25 coins of Zoilus II were found under the foundations of a 1st-century BC rectangular chapel in the monastery ofDharmarajika,nearTaxila.^[3]^[4]

Two coins of Zoilus II were also found in the Bara hoard nearPeshawar,together with coins of the Indo-Scythian kingsAzes I,Azilises,Azes II.^[5]

Overstrikes[edit]

A coin of Zoilus II was overstruck on a coin ofApollodotus II.

Notes[edit]

^Francis Henry SkrineandEdward Denison Ross,The Heart of Asia: A History of Russian Turkestan and the Central Asian Khanates from the Earliest Times,by London, Methuen, 1899, p.19; E. Drouin, “Bactriane”,La Grande Encyclopédie: Inventaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Lettres et des Arts,Paris, Lamirault, 1885-1902, Tome 4, pp.1115-1122, nb 1118.
^^a ^b ^c ^dJakobsson, J (2010). "A Possible New Indo-Greek King Zoilos III, and an Analysis of Realism on Indo-Greek Royal Portraits".Numismatic Chronicle.JSTOR article
^"Another group of coins which was found in greater numbers at religious sites, at Dharmarajika in particular, than at Sirkap is that of Zoilos II. A hoard of 25 drachms from the monastery are the only silver coins of Zoilos Soter found at Taxila" Numismatic Digest - Volume 4 - Page 13, 1980
^John Marshall, "Taxila, Archaeological excavations", p. 248 "The only minor antiquities of interest found in this building were twenty-five debased silver coins of the Greek king Zoilus II, which were brought to light beneath the foundations of the earliest chapel".)
^Reference

References[edit]

The Greeks in Bactria and India,W. W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.
Indo-Greek Coins,R. B. Whitehead, 1914.

Preceded by Dionysios	Indo-Greek Ruler (inEastern Punjab) 55 – 35 BC	Succeeded by Apollophanes

[1] Francis Henry SkrineandEdward Denison Ross,The Heart of Asia: A History of Russian Turkestan and the Central Asian Khanates from the Earliest Times,by London, Methuen, 1899, p.19; E. Drouin, “Bactriane”,La Grande Encyclopédie: Inventaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Lettres et des Arts,Paris, Lamirault, 1885-1902, Tome 4, pp.1115-1122, nb 1118.

[JJ-2] Jakobsson, J (2010). "A Possible New Indo-Greek King Zoilos III, and an Analysis of Realism on Indo-Greek Royal Portraits".Numismatic Chronicle.JSTOR article

[3] "Another group of coins which was found in greater numbers at religious sites, at Dharmarajika in particular, than at Sirkap is that of Zoilos II. A hoard of 25 drachms from the monastery are the only silver coins of Zoilos Soter found at Taxila" Numismatic Digest - Volume 4 - Page 13, 1980

[4] John Marshall, "Taxila, Archaeological excavations", p. 248 "The only minor antiquities of interest found in this building were twenty-five debased silver coins of the Greek king Zoilus II, which were brought to light beneath the foundations of the earliest chapel".)

[5] Reference

[6] O. Bopearachchi, "Monnaies gréco-bactriennes et indo-grecques, Catalogue raisonné", Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 1991, p.453

[7] Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2 April 2019)."History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE".BRILL – via Google Books.

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v t e Hellenisticrulers
Argeads	Philip II Alexander III the Great Philip III Arrhidaeus Alexander IV
Antipatrids	Cassander Philip IV Alexander V Antipater II Antipater Etesias Sosthenes
Antigonids	Antigonus I Monophthalmus Demetrius I Poliorcetes Antigonus II Gonatas Demetrius II Aetolicus Antigonus III Doson Philip V Perseus Philip VI(pretender)
Ptolemies	Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy Keraunos Ptolemy II Philadelphus Ptolemy III Euergetes Ptolemy IV Philopator Ptolemy V Epiphanes Cleopatra I Syra(regent) Ptolemy VI Philometor Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator Cleopatra II Philometor Soter Ptolemy VIII Physcon Cleopatra III Ptolemy IX Lathyros Ptolemy X Alexander Berenice III Ptolemy XI Alexander Ptolemy XII Auletes Cleopatra VI Tryphaena Berenice IV Epiphanea Ptolemy XIII Ptolemy XIV Cleopatra VII Philopator Ptolemy XV Caesarion
Monarchs of Cyrene	Magas Berenice II Demetrius the Fair Ptolemy VIII Physcon Ptolemy Apion Cleopatra Selene II
Seleucids	Seleucus I Nicator Antiochus I Soter Antiochus II Theos Seleucus II Callinicus Seleucus III Ceraunus Antiochus III the Great Seleucus IV Philopator Antiochus IV Epiphanes Antiochus V Eupator Demetrius I Soter Alexander I Balas Demetrius II Nicator Antiochus VI Dionysus Diodotus Tryphon Antiochus VII Sidetes Alexander II Zabinas Cleopatra Thea Seleucus V Philometor Antiochus VIII Grypus Antiochus IX Cyzicenus Seleucus VI Epiphanes Antiochus X Eusebes Antiochus XI Epiphanes Demetrius III Eucaerus Philip I Philadelphus Antiochus XII Dionysus Cleopatra Selene I Antiochus XIII Asiaticus Philip II Philoromaeus
Lysimachids	Lysimachus Ptolemy Epigonos
Attalids	Philetaerus Eumenes I Attalus I Eumenes II Attalus II Attalus III Eumenes III
Greco-Bactrians	Diodotus I Diodotus II Euthydemus I Demetrius I Euthydemus II Antimachus I Pantaleon Agathocles Demetrius II Eucratides I Plato Eucratides II Heliocles I
Indo-Greeks	Demetrius I Antimachus I Pantaleon Agathocles Apollodotus I Demetrius II Antimachus II Menander I Zoilos I Agathokleia Lysias Strato I Antialcidas Heliokles II Polyxenos Demetrius III Philoxenus Diomedes Amyntas Epander Theophilos Peukolaos Thraso Nicias Menander II Artemidoros Hermaeus Archebius Telephos Apollodotus II Hippostratos Dionysios Zoilos II Apollophanes Strato II Strato III
Monarchs of Bithynia	Boteiras Bas Zipoetes I Nicomedes I Zipoetes II Etazeta(regent) Ziaelas Prusias I Prusias II Nicomedes II Nicomedes III Nicomedes IV Socrates Chrestus
Monarchs of Pontus	Mithridates I Ctistes Ariobarzanes Mithridates II Mithridates III Pharnaces I Mithridates IV Philopator PhiladephoswithLaodice Mithridates V Euergetes Mithridates VI Eupator Pharnaces II Darius Arsaces Polemon I Pythodorida Polemon II
Monarchs of Commagene	Ptolemaeus Sames II Mithridates I Antiochus I Mithridates II Antiochus II Mithridates III Antiochus III Antiochus IV
Monarchs of Cappadocia	Ariarathes I Ariarathes II Ariamnes II Ariarathes III Ariarathes IV Ariarathes V Orophernes Ariarathes VI Ariarathes VII Ariarathes VIII Ariarathes IX Ariobarzanes I Ariobarzanes II Ariobarzanes III Ariarathes X Archelaus
Monarchs of the Cimmerian Bosporus	Paerisades I Satyros II Prytanis Eumelos Spartokos III Hygiainon(regent) Paerisades II Spartokos IV Leukon II Spartokos V[ru] Kamasarye Paerisades III Paerisades IV Paerisades V Mithridates I Pharnaces AsanderwithDynamis Mithridates II AsanderwithDynamis Scribonius's attempted rule withDynamis DynamiswithPolemon Polemon Aspurgus Gepaepyris Mithridates III Cotys I
Monarchs of Epirus	Admetus Tharrhypas Alcetas I Neoptolemus I Arybbas Alexander I Aeacides Neoptolemus II Alcetas II Pyrrhus I Alexander II Olympias II(regent) Pyrrhus II Ptolemy Pyrrhus III Deidamia
Hellenistic rulers were preceded byHellenistic satrapsin most of their territories.