Peucolaus Soter Dicaeus (Ancient Greek: Πευκόλαος Σωτήρ Δίκαιος, romanized: Peukolaos Sōtēr Dikaios; epithets mean respectively, "the Saviour", "the Just") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the area of Gandhara c. 90 BCE. His reign was probably short and insignificant, since he left only a few coins, but the relations of the latter Indo-Greek kings remain largely obscure.
| Peucolaus Soter Dicaeus | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Peucolaus | |
| Indo-Greek king | |
| Reign | c. 90 BCE |
His name was previously interpreted as "The man from Pushkalavati". Pushkalavati was the historic capital of Gandhara located in the Valley of Peshawar. However the name Peucolaus is a Greek name found mainly in ancient Macedonia and derived from the words πεύκη ("pine") and λαός ("people"). This was also the name of one of the men who planned to assassinate Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE.[3]
Coinage
editPeucolaus struck rare Indian standard silver coins with portrait in diadem, and a reverse of a standing Zeus, which resemble the reverse of contemporary kings Heliokles II and Archebios. The latter has overstruck two coins of Peucolaos.
He also issued bilingual bronzes with Artemis and a crowned woman with a palm branch, perhaps a city-goddess or a personification of Tyche, the deity for good luck.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Monnaies Greco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques", Osmund Bopearachchi, Bibliotheque Nationale, 1991, p.309
- ^ Di Castro, Angelo Andrea (January 2017). "Crowns, Horns and Goddesses Appropriation of Symbols in Gandhāra and Beyond". In Bapat, Jayant Bhalchandra; Mabbett, Ian (eds.). Conceiving the Goddess: transformation and appropriation in Indic religions. Monash University Publishing. pp. 38–39.
- ^ "User-submitted name Peukolaos - Behind the Name". www.behindthename.com. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
Bibliography
edit- The Greeks in Bactria and India, W. W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.
- The Coin Types of the Indo-Greek Kings, 256-54 B.C., A. K. Narain
- Le Roi Peukolaos