1840.] Lieut. Cunningham on Bactrian coins, 873 



The date of 170 b. c, would make Antimachus contemporary with 

 Eucratidas ; and the absence of his coins at Beghram, would point out 

 the ancient Sogdiana as the territory probably ruled by him— which 

 probability is rendered still stronger by the knowledge which we derive 

 from Justin, that this country did not belong to the dominions of 

 Eucratidas. It is not too much then to suppose, that it was during the 

 reign of this king Antimachus, that the Bactrians " were worn out by 

 wars with the Sogdians, Drangians, and Indians," as related by the same 

 author ; and that as a monument of their success, Antimachus impress- 

 ed the figure of Victory upon his coins, and assumed the title of Nice- 

 phorus. As a further proof that these two princes were contemporaries, 

 I will cite the analogies that we find in their coins, which are the 

 earliest specimens, save a few square copper coins of Heliocles, that 

 bear legends in Bactrian Pali ; and it is a peculiarity remarkable in the 

 coins of these princes, that we find no Bactrian Pali legends on their 

 silver coins, excepting on those drachmas of Antimachus which are of 

 a much lighter weight, indicating most probably a later period of his 

 reign; for Antimachus assumed the Macedonian helmet, and most likely 

 affected to disdain the Bactrian customs and language, in the earlier 

 part of his reign. Here then we have two contemporary princes, 

 Antimachus of Sogdiana, and Eucratidas of Bactriana, whose coins 

 exhibit the two distinct characteristics found in the numismatology of 

 Bactria — namely, coins bearing Greek inscriptions only, and those 

 bearing both Greek and Bactrian Pali legends. These facts establish 

 the certainty that these two princes must occupy places in their respec- 

 tive dynasties between the kings who used Greek inscriptions only, 

 and those who used both Greek and Bactrian Pali legends, and this 

 rank agrees exactly with that already assigned to these princes upon 

 other grounds. Hence we may safely infer that Philoxenes in Sogdiana, 

 and Apollodotus and Menander in Bactriana, must be subsequent to 

 Antimachus and to Eucratidas ; and that the numerous other princes 

 whose names have been made known to us by bilingual coins only, must 

 likewise be subsequent to these two kings, Antimachus and Eucratidas, 

 whose coins form a transition series between those using the Greek 

 language only, and those which bear legends in both languages. 



No. 4. A silver piece of the size of a drachma, of beautiful work- 

 manship, and in excellent preservation. 



