Anthimachus I Theos (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
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*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: ; known as Antimakha in Indian sources) was believed to have been an illegitimate son of
Euthydemus, and one of the
Greco-Bactrian
The Bactrian Kingdom, known to historians as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom or simply Greco-Bactria, was a Hellenistic-era Greek state, and along with the Indo-Greek Kingdom, the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world in Central Asia and the Ind ...
kings, generally dated from around 185 BC to 170 BC.
Rule
William Woodthorpe Tarn
Sir William Woodthorpe Tarn (26 February 1869 – 7 November 1957) was a British classical scholar and a writer. He wrote extensively on the Hellenistic world, particularly on Alexander the Great's empire and its successor states.
Life
William ...
and numismatist Robert Senior place Antimachus as a member of the Euthydemid dynasty and probably as a son of
Euthydemus and brother of
Demetrius
Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter".
Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dum ...
. Other historians, like
A.K. Narain, mark him as independent of Euthydemid authority, and probably a scion of some relation to the Diodotid dynasty. He was king of an area covering parts of
Bactria
Bactria (; Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia in Amu Darya's middle stream, stretching north of the Hindu Kush, west of the Pamirs and south of the Gissar range, covering the northern part of Afghanistan, southwe ...
and probably also
Arachosia
Arachosia () is the Hellenized name of an ancient satrapy situated in the eastern parts of the Achaemenid empire. It was centred around the valley of the Arghandab River in modern-day southern Afghanistan, and extended as far east as the In ...
in southern Afghanistan (see "Coins of Antimachus I," below). Antimachus I was either defeated during his resistance to the usurper
Eucratides, or his main territory was absorbed by the latter upon his death.
Apparently adding to the argument against direct Euthydemid familial connections is a unique tax-receipt that states:
That Antimachus would list his own associate kings argues strongly against the suggestion that he was appointed as a Northern associate ruler of Euthydemus and Demetrius, an idea that anyway is more or less unprecedented among Hellenistic kings. Eumenes and Antimachus could be his heirs; it was standard for
Ptolemaic and
Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
kings to include their sons as joint regents, with variable formal or actual power. While Eumenes never issued any coins, a king named
Antimachus II
Antimachus II Nikephoros (Greek: ; the epithet means "the Victorious") was an Indo-Greek king. He ruled a vast territory from the Hindu-Kush to the Punjab around 170 BCE. He was almost certainly the eponymous son of Antimachus I, who is known fro ...
Nikephoros later appeared in India. It seems plausible that the Indian Antimachus was the son of Antimachus I, but it is unclear whether his reign in India overlapped with his father's reign in Bactria.
Coins of Antimachus I
Antimachus I issued numerous silver coins on the Attic standard, with his own image in a flat Macedonian kausia hat, and on the reverse
Poseidon
Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a c ...
with his trident. Poseidon was the god of the ocean and great rivers - some scholars have here seen a reference to the provinces around the Indus River, where Antimachus I may have been a governor - but also the protector of horses, which was perhaps a more important function in the hinterland of Bactria.
On his coinage, Antimachus called himself ''Theos'', "The God", a first in the Hellenistic world. Just like his colleague
Agathocles, he issued commemorative coinage, in his case silver tetradrachms honouring Euthydemus I, also called "The God", and Diodotus I, called "The Saviour". This indicates that Antimachus I might have been instrumental in creating a royal state cult.
Antimachus I also issued round bronzes depicting an elephant on the obverse, with a reverse showing the Greek goddess of victory
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
holding out a wreath. The elephant could be a Buddhist symbol. These coins are reminiscent of those of
Demetrius I, as well as
Apollodotus I
Apollodotus I (Greek: ) Prakrit in the Kharoshti script: ''maharajasa apaladatasa tratarasa'') was an Indo-Greek king between 180 BC and 160 BC or between 174 and 165 BC (first dating Osmund Bopearachchi and R. C. Senior, second dating ...
.
Other bronzes, square and rather crude, also portray a walking elephant, but with a reverse of a thunderbolt. These have been attributed by Bopearachchi (as well as older scholars) to Arachosia. They are Indian in their design, but the legend is only in Greek.
Notes
References
*''The Greek in Bactria and India'',
W. W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press
*''The Decline of the Indo-Greeks'', R. C. Senior and D. MacDonald, Hellenistic Numismatic Society
*''The Indo-Greeks'', A. K. Narain, B.R. Publications
External links
Coins of Antimachus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antimachus 01
Greco-Bactrian kings
2nd-century BC rulers in Asia
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
Euthydemid dynasty
Greek Buddhist monarchs