70 Note on the Bameean Coins. [No. 97 > 



Note on the above— By the Officiating Secretary. 



The discovery of the copper Demetrius at Bameean is valuable, as 

 throwing (if the evidence may be taken as sufficiently strong) a new 

 light upon the history of that prince. Mr. Schlegel (Asiatic Journal, 

 vol. ii. p. 408,) in his Epitome of the history of the later Bactrian kings 

 has adopted the opinion that, " Demetrius did not succeed Euthydemus 

 in Bactria." He holds that Demetrius governed the provinces situated 

 along the lower Indus after their subjugation by his father Euthyde- 

 mus : the title given him by Justin " King of India" favours the 

 supposition. Professor Lassen of Bonn, however, in his " Chronological 

 Table"* of Bactrian monarchs, notes as follows, "Demetrius succeeds 

 his father in Bactria about (b. c.) 185," and he assigns the usurpation of 

 Bactria by Eukratides, and the consequent retirement to Arachosia of 

 Demetrius to the year 175, b. c, thus placing this occurrence six years 

 after the period noted for it by Bayer (b. c. 181.) The discovery of a 

 coin of Demetrius at Bameean would appear to bear out the Professor's 

 position, viz., that this prince actually exercised regal authority in 

 Bactria in succession to his father. 



I venture to point out this (apparent) proof to those valued contribu- 

 tors to the Journal, who are now in Afghanistan, and to request that 

 they will turn their attention to the elucidation of what has been 

 well termed " one of the darkest parts of Bactrian history" for further 

 investigation of the value of what has now been advanced. The coins 

 of Demetrius are very rare ; I do not indeed believe that more than five 

 have been hitherto found, and all, (acknowledged as his) but Capt. 

 Hay's, have been silver, similar in device to that figured in the Asiatic 

 Journal, vol. iv. P. XXV. On this copper Demetrius I am inclined to 

 risk a theory as regards a very interesting and hitherto obscure coin, 

 noted (Asiatic Journal, vol. iv. P. XXV. Fig. 4.) as the coin of " Ma- 

 yus," a supposed monarch, two of whose coins exist in the Ventura col- 

 lection. " This," says Mr. James Prinsep, " is an entirely new name ; 

 nor can it be read as a Greek word in its present shape, although the 

 characters are perfectly distinct on the coin, and the style of engraving 



Note.— The chronological table, with some extracts from Professor Lassen's work, were translated 

 for the Honble Mr. H. T. Prinsep by Mr. Piddington. I have made arrangements with a gentleman 

 (Dr. Rocr,) fully competent to the task, for a translation of the whole work, to be published in the 

 Journal of the Society. It will be highly useful to Indian numismatologists, and as the work, even in 

 the original language is not procurable in this country, I know no better method of making it public, 

 than by translation in the pages of that Journal, which under our Secretary's able management sup- 

 plied the Professor with some of the most valuable material for his work. 



