Menander I, 155-130 BC, Drachm

Menander I Soter, drachm, AR, reign 155–130 BC, uncertain mint, 2.33 g, 18 mm. Obverse with diademed portrait of Menander I to right, surrounded by Greek legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ MENANΔPOY. Reverse with the corresponding royal title in Kharoshthi, Maharajasa tratarasa Menamdrasa, enclosing the standard Indo-Greek reverse type for this issue; bilingual format reflecting parallel Greek and local administrative usage. Well-centered for the type, with clear legends on both sides and even metal throughout. Bopearachchi 16L.

Menander I is the best-attested Indo-Greek ruler and a principal figure in the expansion and consolidation of Greek power in the northwestern Indian subcontinent. His bilingual silver coinage, pairing Greek and Kharoshthi inscriptions, documents a monetary system designed for circulation across culturally mixed populations and provides primary evidence for political authority, titulature, and regional governance in the Hellenistic territories east of the Hindu Kush during the mid-2nd century BC.