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Greek Coins :
Bactrian Silver Coins : Bactrian Silver Tetradrachm of King Demetrius I
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Bactrian Silver Tetradrachm of King Demetrius I - LC.022
Origin: Afghanistan
Circa: 200
BC
to 180
BC
Collection: Greek Coins
Medium: Silver
£2,400.00
Location: Great Britain
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Obverse: Head of the King Crowned with an
Elephant Skin Headdress
Reverse: Herakles Crowning Himself While
Holding a Club and Lion’s Skin
Demetrius I (reigned circa 200-180 B.C.) was the
son of King Euthydemos. He first gained
recognition as a young prince during negations
with Seleucid King Antiochus III following their
failed three-year siege of Bactra. King
Antiochus was so impressed with Demetrius’
demeanor that he offered one of his daughters in
marriage. Following his rise to the throne
around 200 B.C., Demetrius began a series of
military campaigns, expanding his kingdom’s
boundaries beyond their stronghold in modern
Afghanistan into parts of eastern Iran and
Pakistan. However, Demetrius is perhaps best
remembered for his conquest of India. Following
the collapse the Mauryan Dynasty at the hands
of the general Pusyamitra Sunga, and the
subsequent establishment of the Sunga Dynasty
in 185 B.C., Bactrian forces under the command
of Demetrius I invaded northwestern India.
Historians speculate whether this invasion was
the result of a military alliance with the
Mauryans or was launched in order to protect
the Greek populations of the region. What is
certain is that Bactrian forces advanced deep into
the heart of the subcontinent and set the
foundation for the so-called Indo-Greek
Kingdom that ruled northwest India for the last
two centuries before the common era. The coins
struck under Demetrius and his predecessors
Euthydemus and Antimachus are purely Greek in
style, language and weight. After his campaign
into India, Demetrius minted coins such as this
stellar example showing himself wearing
elephant's scalp, a symbol of India and reference
to Alexander the Great’s depictions wearing the
lion skin headdress associated with Herakles.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of long
forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies. This
coin is a memorial to an ancient king and his
kingdom passed from the hands of civilization
to, from generation to generation that still
appears as vibrant today as the day it was struck.
- (LC.022)
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