Menander I, 155-130 BC, Tetradrachm

Menander I, tetradrachm, AR, reign 155–130 BC, uncertain mint, 9.54 g, 25 mm. Obverse with Greek legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ MENANΔPOY naming Menander as “Saviour King,” the types accompanied by the standard royal portrait of the Indo-Greek series. Reverse with Kharoshthi legend Maharajasa tratarasa Menamdrasa, the Prakrit equivalent of the obverse titulature, surrounding the customary Indo-Greek reverse type for this emission. Well-centred and legible for the issue, with clear bilingual legends. HGC 12, 193. Menander I was a principal ruler of the Indo-Greek kingdoms and one of the most widely attested Indo-Greek kings in the numismatic record. His coinage is a key source for the administration and cultural policy of Greek dynasts in the northwestern Indian subcontinent, notably through its consistent use of bilingual Greek and Kharoshthi legends that document parallel titulature for different audiences and provide evidence for cross-cultural governance and monetary circulation across Hellenistic and South Asian spheres.