Menander I, 155-130 BC, Tetradrachm

Menander I, tetradrachm, AR, 155–130 BC, 10.01g, 27mm. Obverse with Greek legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ MENANΔPOY naming Menander as “Saviour King,” the types consistent with the standard bilingual coinage of the Indo-Greek realm. Reverse with Kharoshthi legend Maharajasa tratarasa Menamdrasa, the Prakrit equivalent of the Greek titulature. Well-centred for the type, with clear legends on both sides and even metal; minor striking softness in the peripheral areas typical of the series. HGC 12, 193.

Menander I was one of the most prominent Indo-Greek rulers, and his coinage is a principal source for reconstructing the political geography and administrative practices of Greek kingdoms in South Asia. The bilingual Greek and Kharoshthi legends document a dual-audience monetary system intended for both Hellenised and local populations, illustrating sustained cross-cultural governance and economic integration across the northwestern Indian subcontinent in the second century BC.