Menander I, 155-130 BC, Drachm

Menander I, drachm, AR, reign 155–130 BC, uncertain mint, 2.33 g, 16 mm. Obverse with diademed bust of Menander I to right, surrounded by the Greek royal titulature BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ MENANΔPOY. Reverse with the corresponding Kharoshthi legend Maharajasa tratarasa Menamdrasa, arranged around the reverse type as struck for this bilingual issue. Well-centred for the type, with clear legends and devices and light circulation wear consistent with the weight standard. Reference: HGC 12, 191.

Menander I was among the most prominent Indo-Greek rulers, and his bilingual coinage documents the administration of a Hellenistic kingship operating across Greek- and Prakrit-speaking populations in the northwestern Indian subcontinent. Issues such as this drachm reflect the integration of Greek monetary practice with local scripts and titulature, providing direct evidence for political authority, cultural interaction, and the circulation of silver currency in the Indo-Greek period.