Antimachos II, 174-165 BC, Drachm

Antimachos II Nikephoros, Drachm, AR, 174–165 BC, 2.34 g, 18 mm. Uncertain mint. Diademed and draped bust of Antimachos II right; Greek legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ NIKHΦOΡOΥ ANTIMAXOΥ. Nike standing left, holding wreath and palm; Kharoshthi legend Maharajasa jayadharasa Amtimakasa around. Struck as a bilingual Indo-Greek issue on the drachm standard. Bopearachchi 1A; Mitchiner 135b.

Antimachos II (Nikephoros) ruled parts of Bactria and northwestern India in the mid-2nd century BC. His bilingual silver coinage, pairing a Greek legend with a Kharoshthi translation of his epithet (Nikephoros/Jayadharasa, “victory-bearer”), is a primary source for his titulature and chronology and indicates administration over mixed Greek and local populations. The frequent use of Nike on his reverses corresponds to the epithet and illustrates the continued use of Hellenistic royal iconography within the Indo-Greek sphere.