Kujula Kadphises (Kushan language: Κοζουλου Καδφιζου, also Κοζολα Καδαφες; Kharosthi: 𐨐𐨂𐨗𐨂𐨫 𐨐𐨯, IAST: ', '; Ancient Chinese: 丘就卻, ''Qiujiuque''; reigned 30–80 CE, or 40-90 CE according to Bopearachchi

Osmund Bopearachchi Osmund Bopearachchi (born 1949) is a Sri Lankan historian and numismatist who has specialized notably standardized the coinage of the Indo-Greek and Greco-Bactrian kingdoms. He is currently Emeritus Director of the CNRS at the École Normale Sup ...

, 2007
Some observations on the chronology of the early Kushans
/ref>) was a Kushan prince who united the

Yuezhi The Yuezhi (;) were an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat ...

confederation in Bactria during the 1st century CE, and became the first Kushan emperor. According to the

Rabatak inscription The Rabatak Inscription is an stone inscribed with text written in the Bactrian language and Greek script, found in 1993 at the site of Rabatak, near Surkh Kotal in Afghanistan. The inscription relates to the rule of the Kushan emperor Kani ...

, he was the great grandfather of the great Kushan king

Kanishka I Kanishka I (Sanskrit: कनिष्क, '; Greco-Bactrian: Κανηϸκε ''Kanēške''; Kharosthi: 𐨐𐨞𐨁𐨮𐨿𐨐 '; Brahmi: '), or Kanishka, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (c. 127–150 CE) the empire r ...

. He is considered the founder of the Kushan Empire.

History

The origins of Kujula Kadphises are quite obscure, and he is usually believed to be a descendant of the Kushan ruler

Heraios Heraios ( Bactrian: Ηλου ''Ēlou'', sometimes Heraus, Heraos, Miaos) was apparently a king or clan chief of the Kushans (reign: c. 1 –30 CE), one of the five constituent tribes of the Yuezhi, in Bactria, in the early 1st century CE. Sev ...

, or possibly identical with him. However, Kujula shares his name (Kushan: Κοζουλου on some of his "Hermaeus" coins, or Κοζολα on his "Augustus" coins) with some of the last

Indo-Scythian Indo-Scythians (also called Indo-Sakas) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples of Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into modern day Pakistan and Northwestern India from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th centur ...

rulers, such as

Liaka Kusulaka Liaka Kusulaka (Greek language, Greek: , on his coins; Prakrit: Liaka Kusulaka or , , on the Taxila copper plate) was an Indo-Scythian satrap of the area of Chukhsa in the northwestern South Asia during the 1st century BCE. Name Liaka Kusulaka ...

(Greek: ''Λιακα Κοζουλο''), or his son Patika Kusulaka, which might suggest some family connection.

Chinese accounts

In the process of their expansion eastward, Kujula Kadphises and his son

Vima Takto Vima Takto or Vima Taktu (Greco-Bactrian: Οοημο Τακτοο, ''Oēmo Takto''; Kharosthi: 𐨬𐨅𐨨 𐨟𐨑𐨆 ', ') was a Kushan emperor who reigned c. 80–90 CE. Rule Vima Takto was long known as "The nameless King", since his coin ...

(or Vema Tahktu) seem to have displaced the Indo-Parthian kingdom, established in northwestern India by the

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

n Gondophares since around 20 CE:

His son, Yangaozhen robably_Vema_Tahktu_or,_possibly,_his_brother_Sadaṣkaṇa.html" ;"title="Sadaṣkaṇa.html" ;"title="robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa">robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa">Sadaṣkaṇa.html" ;"title="robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa">robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa became king in his place. He defeated Tianzhu [North-western India] and installed Generals to supervise and lead it. The Yuezhi then became extremely rich. All the kingdoms call [their king] the Guishuang [Kushan] king, but the Han call them by their original name, Da Yuezhi reat YuezhiHill (2009), p. 29.

The invasion of the Indo-Parthian kingdom led by Kujula Kadphises is thought to have occurred some time after 45 CE, during the reign of Gondophares's successors:

Abdagases Abdagases I (Greek: Ἀβδαγάσης, epigraphically ΑΒΔΑΓΑΣΟΥ; Kharosthi: 𐨀𐨬𐨡𐨒𐨮 ', 'Gardner, Percy, ''The Coins of the Greek and Scythic Kings of Bactria and India in the British Museum'', p. 107-108) was an Indo-Parthi ...

and

Sases Sases, also known as Gondophares IV Sases ( Kharosthi: 𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨂𐨥𐨪 𐨯𐨯 ', '), was an Indo-Parthian king who ruled in northwestern parts of India in modern Pakistan. He is only known from coins and ruled for at least 26 years du ...

Genealogy according to the Rabatak inscription

The connection of Kujula with other Kushan rulers is described in the

, discovered in Rabatak in what was once Bactria in 1993, which was inscribed by

Kanishka Kanishka I (Sanskrit: कनिष्क, '; Greco-Bactrian: Κανηϸκε ''Kanēške''; Kharosthi: 𐨐𐨞𐨁𐨮𐨿𐨐 '; Brahmi: '), or Kanishka, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (c. 127–150 CE) the empire ...

. Kanishka states Kujula Kadphises to be his great-grandfather,

Vima Taktu Vima Takto or Vima Taktu (Greco-Bactrian: Οοημο Τακτοο, ''Oēmo Takto''; Kharosthi: 𐨬𐨅𐨨 𐨟𐨑𐨆 ', ') was a Kushan emperor who reigned c. 80–90 CE. Rule Vima Takto was long known as "The nameless King", since his coin ...

to be his grandfather,

Vima Kadphises Vima Kadphises (Greek: Οοημο Καδφιϲηϲ ''Ooēmo Kadphisēs'' (epigraphic); Kharosthi: 𐨬𐨁𐨨 𐨐𐨫𐨿𐨤𐨁𐨭 ', ') was a Kushan emperor from approximately 113 to 127 CE. According to the Rabatak inscription, he was the ...

to be his father, and himself Kanishka:

And he anishkagave orders to make images of the same, (namely) of these gods who are written herein, and he gave orders to make (them) for these kings: for King Kujula Kadphises (his) great grandfather, and for King Vima Taktu (his) grandfather, and for King Vima Kadphises (his) father, and for himself, King Kanishka.

Khalchayan

Some of the statues of the

Khalchayan Khalchayan (also ''Khaltchaïan'') is an archaeological site, thought to be a small palace or a reception hall, located near the modern town of Denov in Surxondaryo Region of southern Uzbekistan. It is located in the valley of the Surkhan Darya, ...

palatial site in Bactria, dated circa 50 CE, probably corresponded to the rule of Kujula Kadphises.

Coinage

The coinage of the Kushan ruler, Kujula Kadphises, shows us the enlargement of the religious horizon of the Kushans. His first issue, which has the debased portrait and name of Hermaeus on the obverse, shows

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...

on the reverse, still following the Greek tradition, even though Heracles may be the

Interpretatio graeca ''Interpretatio graeca'' (Latin, "Greek translation") or "interpretation by means of Greek odels is a discourse used to interpret or attempt to understand the mythology and religion of other cultures; a comparative methodology using ancient G ...

of the Iranian god Verethragna, contrary to earlier assumptions, which regarded Kujula Kadphises as Buddhist on the basis of the epithet. File:Silver denarius of Tiberius 14CE 37CE found in India Indian copy of a the same 1st century CE Coin of Kushan king Kujula Kadphises copying a coin of Augustus.jpg, Left Silver denarius of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

(14-37 CE) found in India. Center Indian copy of the same, 1st century CE. Right Coin of Kushan king Kujula Kadphises copying a coin of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

. File:Kujula Kadphises Tetradrachm.jpg, Kujula Kadphises Tetradrachm. Obv Brahma bull standing right, with Buddhist

Triratana The Triratna ( pi, or ; sa, or ) is a Buddhist symbol, thought to visually represent the Three Jewels of Buddhism (the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha). Symbol The Triratna symbol is composed of: * A lotus flower within a circle. * A ...

above. Blundered Greek legend. Rev Camel standing right. Kharoshthi legend ''Maharayasa Rayatirayasa Kuyula Kara Kapasa''. File:Kujula seated cross legged facing.jpg, Coin of Kujula Kadphises.
Obv Kujula seated cross legged facing, Kharoshti legend: ''Kuyula Kadaphasa Kushanasa''.
Rev Zeus on the reverse, Greek legend: ΚΟΖΟΛΑ XOPANOY ZAOOY. File:Kujula Kadphises Helmeted.jpg, Kujula Kadphises coin. Obv Helmeted soldier head right. Rev Warrior standing right, holding shield and spear.

References

Bibliography

* "Catalogue of coins in the Panjab Museum, Lahore. Vol. I Indo-Greek coins", Whitehead, Argonaut Inc. Publishers, Chicago. * * Hill, John E. 2004. ''The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu.'' Draft annotated English translatio

* *

External links

Catalogue of coins of Kujula Kadphises
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadphises, Kujula Kushan emperors 80 deaths 1st-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown