Polyxenos Epiphanes Soter

Polyxenos Epiphanes Soter
Indo-Greek king

Coin of Polyxenus.
Reign Circa 100 BCE

Polyxenos Epiphanes Soter (Greek: Πολύξενος ὁ Ἐπιφανῆς, ὁ Σωτήρ; epithets mean respectivelly, "the Illustrious", "the Saviour") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled briefly in western Punjab or Gandhara.

Time of reign

Bopearachchi places Polyxenos c. 100 BCE[1] and R. C. Senior c. 85–80 BCE.

Coins of Polyxenos

Coin of Polyxenos.

Polyxenos, whose portraits depict a diademed young man, struck silver coins which closely resemble those of Strato I. Both kings used the epithets Soter Epiphanes and the reverse of Athena Alkidemos (fighting Pallas Athene), the emblem of the dynasty of Menander I. Polyxenos also struck bronzes with Athena on the obverse and her aegis on the reverse. He issued no Attic silver.

His bronzes depict the head of Athena with a reverse of her aegis.

Polyxenos' coins are few and feature only three monograms: these he shares with Straton I as well as the kings Heliokles II and Archebios, according to Bopearachchi and RC Senior.

He was therefore likely to have been a brief contestant for power in the central Indo-Greek kingdom after the presumably violent death of Straton I, who was possibly his father.

INDO-GREEK KINGS AND THEIR TERRITORIES
Based on Bopearachchi (1991)
Territories/
Dates
PAROPAMISADE
ARACHOSIA GANDHARA WESTERN PUNJAB EASTERN PUNJAB
200–190 BCE Demetrius I
190–180 BCE Agathocles Pantaleon
185–170 BCE Antimachus I
180–160 BCE Apollodotus I
175–170 BCE Demetrius II
170–145 BCE Eucratides
160–155 BCE Antimachus II
155–130 BCE Menander I
130–120 BCE Zoilos I Agathokleia
120–110 BCE Lysias Strato I
110–100 BCE Antialcidas Heliokles II
100 BCE Polyxenos Demetrius III
100–95 BCE Philoxenus
95–90 BCE Diomedes Amyntas Epander
90 BCE Theophilos Peukolaos Thraso
90–85 BCE Nicias Menander II Artemidoros
90–70 BCE Hermaeus Archebios
Yuezhi tribes Maues (Indo-Scythian)
75–70 BCE Telephos Apollodotus II
65–55 BCE Hippostratos Dionysios
55–35 BCE Azes I (Indo-Scythian) Zoilos II
55–35 BCE Apollophanes
25 BCE – 10 CE Strato II & III
Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian)

Notes

  1. Bopearachchi (1998)

References

Preceded by
Heliokles II (?)
Indo-Greek ruler in Paropamisade, Arachosia
c. 100 BCE
Succeeded by
Philoxenus


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