Menander I, 155-130 BC, Tetradrachm

Menander I Soter, tetradrachm, AR, reign circa 155–130 BC, uncertain mint, 9.77 g, 23 mm. Obverse with Greek legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ MENANΔPOY around the diademed portrait of Menander I to right. Reverse with Kharoshthi legend Maharajasa tratarasa Menamdrasa around the customary Indo-Greek reverse type for Menander’s silver drachms; well-centered legends with clear bilingual epigraphy. Struck on a broad flan; minor surface marks consistent with circulation. Rare. Reference: HGC 12, 193.

Menander I was among the most prominent Indo-Greek rulers, and his coinage documents the political and cultural integration of Hellenistic and Indian traditions in the northwestern subcontinent. The paired Greek and Kharoshthi inscriptions on his silver issues provide direct contemporary evidence for multilingual administration and cross-regional circulation, and his extensive output is a primary source for reconstructing Indo-Greek chronology and influence during the mid-2nd century BC.