![Zoilos II as a balding man](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Zoilos_II_as_a_balding_man.jpg)
Zoilus II Soter ( grc, Ζωΐλος Σωτήρ, Zōïlos Sōtēr;
epithet means "the Saviour") was an
Indo-Greek
The Indo-Greek Kingdom, or Graeco-Indian Kingdom, also known historically as the Yavana Kingdom (Yavanarajya), was a Hellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent ( ...
king who ruled in eastern
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
. 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
![Coin of Indo-Greek king Zoilos II](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Coin_of_Indo-Greek_king_Zoilos_II.jpg)
Zoilus seems to have been one of the rulers who succeeded the last important Indo-Greek king
Apollodotus II
Apollodotus II (Greek: ) was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the western and eastern parts of Punjab. Bopearachchi dates him to c. 80–65 BC, and R. C. Senior to c. 85–65 BC. Apollodotos II was an important ruler who seems to have re-establis ...
in the eastern parts of his former kingdom. All these kings use the same symbol as Apollodotus II, the fighting
Pallas Athene
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...
introduced by Menander I, and usually also the same epithet ''Soter'' (Saviour). It is therefore possible that they belonged to the same dynasty, and Zoilus II could also have been related to the earlier king
Zoilus I, but the lack of written sources make all such conjections uncertain.
He may have been the Bactrian ally of
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...
and
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
referred to by
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
in his vision of the
Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, ...
in :
Coinage
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?
![Coin of Zoilos II Soter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Coin_of_Zoilos_II_Soter.jpg)
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.
[JSTOR article]
/ref>
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 kings Strato II
Strato II Soter ( grc, Στράτων B΄ ὁ Σωτήρ, ''Strátōn B΄ ho Sotḗr''; epithet means "the Saviour") also known as Stratha, was an Indo-Greek king. He ruled c. 25 BCE to 10 CE according to Bopearachchi. R. C. Senior suggests ...
and Strato III
Strato III Philopator ( el, Στράτων Γ΄ Φιλοπάτωρ; epither means "the Father-loving") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled c. 25 BCE to 10 CE. He is only known through the joint coins with his father Strato II. He may have been su ...
, suggesting a later reign for Zoilus III. This mint-mark however was never used by the "balding" Zoilus II, or by any king before him.
Indo-Scythian imitations
The 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 ...
king Bhadayasa
Bhadayasa, also Bhadrayasha ( Kharosthi: , ), was a minor Indo-Scythian ruler in the areas of Eastern Punjab and Mathura in India, during the 1st century CE. He is considered one of the Northern Satraps.
He is mainly known through his coins, ...
also copied coins of Zoilus II, or the hypothetical Zoilus III, only mentioning his own name on the Kharoshthi
The Kharoṣṭhī script, also spelled Kharoshthi (Kharosthi: ), was an ancient Indo-Iranian script used by various Aryan peoples in north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely around present-day northern Pakistan and e ...
legend of his coins.
Image:IGM62.jpg, The "boxy" mint mark characteristic of Zoilus III and later Indo-Greek kings.
File:Coin of Zoilos II.jpg, Another coin of the proposed Zoilus III.
File:Bhadrayasha coin.jpg, Coin of Bhadayasa
Bhadayasa, also Bhadrayasha ( Kharosthi: , ), was a minor Indo-Scythian ruler in the areas of Eastern Punjab and Mathura in India, during the 1st century CE. He is considered one of the Northern Satraps.
He is mainly known through his coins, ...
, an imitation of the proposed Zoilus IIII.
Monograms
Many of the monograms on 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 as Strato I
Straton or Strato may refer to:
* Strato I, Indo-Greek king
* Strato II, Indo-Greek king
* Strato of Lampsacus (c. 335 – c. 269 BC), Greek philosopher
* Straton of Sardis, Greek poet and anthologist
* Abdashtart I (Straton I, 365–352 BC), king ...
, Apollodotus II
Apollodotus II (Greek: ) was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the western and eastern parts of Punjab. Bopearachchi dates him to c. 80–65 BC, and R. C. Senior to c. 85–65 BC. Apollodotos II was an important ruler who seems to have re-establis ...
, and sometimes Apollophanes and Dionysios
The name Dionysius (; el, Διονύσιος ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; la, Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name ...
. 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 with Kharoshthi
The Kharoṣṭhī script, also spelled Kharoshthi (Kharosthi: ), was an ancient Indo-Iranian script used by various Aryan peoples in north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely around present-day northern Pakistan and e ...
ones, indicating that some of the celators may have been native Indians. The Kharoshthi
The Kharoṣṭhī script, also spelled Kharoshthi (Kharosthi: ), was an ancient Indo-Iranian script used by various Aryan peoples in north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely around present-day northern Pakistan and e ...
monograms 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.
Image:IGM62.jpg
Image:IGM50.jpg
Image:IGM45.jpg
Image:IGM51.jpg
Findspots
The coins of Zoilus II have been found in the Sutlej and Sialkot
Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...
II hoards, and in Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
hoards east in the Jhelum ( Bopearachchi, p138).
Also, 25 coins of Zoilus II were found under the foundations of a 1st-century BC rectangular chapel in the monastery of Dharmarajika
The Dharmarajika Stupa ( ur, ), also referred to as the Great Stupa of Taxila, is a Buddhist stupa near Taxila, Pakistan. It was built over the relics of the Buddha by Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. The stupa, along with the large monastic c ...
, near Taxila.
Two coins of Zoilus II were also found in the Bara hoard near Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
, together with coins of the Indo-Scythian kings Azes I
Azes I ( Greek: , epigraphically ; Kharosthi: , ) was an Indo-Scythian ruler who ruled around c. 48/47 BCE – 25 BCE with a dynastic empire based in the Punjab and Indus Valley, completed the domination of the Scythians in the northwestern Ind ...
, Azilises
Azilises (Greek: , (epigraphic); Kharosthi: , ) was an Indo-Scythian king who ruled in the area of Gandhara circa 57-35 BCE.
Name
Azes's name is attested on his coins in the Greek form () and the Kharosthi form (), which are both derived ...
, Azes II
Azes II (Greek: , epigraphically ; Kharosthi: , ), may have been the last Indo-Scythian king, speculated to have reigned circa 35–12 BCE, in the northern Indian subcontinent (modern day Pakistan). His existence has been questioned; if he did ...
.Reference
/ref>
Overstrikes
A coin of Zoilus II was overstruck on a coin of Apollodotus II
Apollodotus II (Greek: ) was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the western and eastern parts of Punjab. Bopearachchi dates him to c. 80–65 BC, and R. C. Senior to c. 85–65 BC. Apollodotos II was an important ruler who seems to have re-establis ...
.
See also
* Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
* Seleucid Empire
* Greco-Buddhism
Greco-Buddhism, or Graeco-Buddhism, is the cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed between the fourth century BC and the fifth century AD in Gandhara, in present-day north-western Pakistan and parts of nort ...
* Indo-Scythians
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 centu ...
* Indo-Parthian Kingdom
The Indo-Parthian Kingdom was a Parthian kingdom founded by Gondophares, and active from 19 CE to c. 226 CE. At their zenith, they ruled an area covering parts of eastern Iran, various parts of Afghanistan and the northwest regions of the Indian s ...
* Kushan Empire
Notes
References
* ''The Greeks in Bactria and India'', W. W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.
* ''Indo-Greek Coins'', R. B. Whitehead, 1914.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoilus 02
Indo-Greek kings
1st-century BC rulers in Asia
Greek Buddhist monarchs