Eucratides, 171-145 BC, drachm

Eukratides I, drachm, AR, reign 171–145 BC, Paropamisadai or Gandhara mint, 4.22g, 27mm. Obverse with diademed and draped bust of Eukratides I right. Reverse with Greek legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ EYKPATIΔOY. Well-centred with clear legends and principal devices; minor surface marks consistent with circulation. Bopearachchi 2C. Eukratides I was one of the most significant rulers of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, and his silver coinage reflects the continued use of Greek language, royal titulature, and portraiture in Central and South Asia during the mid-2nd century BC. Issues attributed to Paropamisadai or Gandhara document the extension of Greco-Bactrian political and monetary influence across the Hindu Kush and into regions linked to major trans-Asian trade routes, providing primary evidence for Hellenistic administration and cultural exchange in these eastern territories.