880 Lieut. Cunningham on Bactrian coins. [No. 105. 



mens Undopharas, which agrees much better with the Bactrian Pali 

 reading of Andophara, than the usual spelling of Undopherras. 



His coins, which are common at Beghram, and of frequent occurrence 

 over all Ariana, are but rarely met with in the Punjab. These loca- 

 lities point out the extent of the kingdom of Undopherras, which must 

 have embraced the Paropamisus, with Aria, Drangiana, and Arachosia, 

 and most probably also Gedrosia, a territory bordering on Parthia, 

 and which belonged occasionally to the Parthian empire itself, but 

 separated from it by the natural boundaries of the great salt desert 

 " and the vast Carmanian waste." This was the most eastern pro- 

 vince of the Parthian empire during its most flourishing period, and 

 after the defeat and death of Phraates 2nd, and of his successor Arta- 

 banus by the Scythians, and the consequent destruction of the empire, 

 and after the commencement of the distant western wars with the 

 Romans, and with Tigranes 1st of Armenia, which drained the eastern 

 provinces of Parthia of all the forces necessary to keep them in sub- 

 jection ; no position could be more favorable, no circumstances more 

 tempting for successful revolt, and for the establishment of an inde- 

 pendent monarchy. Now from the evidence furnished by the coins of 

 Abalgasa, we may deduce two positions of much value to our argument ; 

 first, Abalgasa, or Abalgasus, who calls himself the son of Undopher- 

 ras, would seem, from the similarity of his name to the well-known 

 names of ^Eb-azus, Bacab-azus, Pharnab-azus, and Artab-azus, to have 

 been of a Persian or Parthian family ; thus strengthening the supposition 

 which I have already advanced, regarding his father Undopherras, that 

 he was of Persian or Parthian family ; and, second^ that Undopherras, 

 or Andophara, was most probably the first of his family, who had en- 

 joyed sovereign power, as his coins make no mention of his father. 

 Hence we may not unreasonably suppose that this Undopherras, the 

 founder of monarchy in his own family, was a Persian Satrap placed 

 over the eastern provinces of the Parthian empire, about 80 b. c, and 

 that he profited by the disturbed state of the country to make himself 

 independent. This supposition is much strengthened by the fact, that 

 the walled town of Furrah, which is surrounded by ancient ruins, 

 is in the midst of the countries in which this prince's coins most 

 abound ; and it may very possibly have been the capital of Andophara 

 and of his dynasty ; for this town was called Parra by the Greeks, 



