Antimachos II, 174-165 BC, Drachm

Antimachos II, drachm, AR, reign 174–165 BC, uncertain mint, 2.45 g, 16 mm. Obverse with bilingual royal titulature BAΣIΛEΩΣ NIKHΦOΡOΥ ANTIMAXOΥ surrounding the bust of Antimachos II right, diademed; the portrait rendered in late Indo-Greek style with compact flan and tight legend placement. Reverse with Kharoshthi legend Maharajasa jayadharasa Amtimakasa around the corresponding reverse type for this issue, struck on a small, lightly spread flan typical of the denomination; minor legend compression at the periphery expected for the type. Even silver surfaces and a centered strike for the series. Reference: Bopearachchi 1C.

This drachm is part of the bilingual coinage of the Indo-Greek kings, combining Greek and Kharoshthi legends to address both Hellenistic and local audiences in the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent. The use of dual scripts and royal epithets documents administrative practice and cultural accommodation in frontier kingdoms following the fragmentation of Greco-Bactrian power, and provides primary evidence for Indo-Greek titulature, language contact, and the geographic reach of Hellenistic monetary systems in South Asia.