Hermaios Soter AR Tetradrachm, c.120–90 BC, Paropamisadai/Gandhara, Zeus‑Mithra

Hermaios Soter, Tetradrachm, silver, c. 120–90 BC, Paropamisadai or Gandhara; 9.47 g; 27 mm. Obverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ EΡMAIOY; diademed, helmeted and draped bust of Hermaios right, helmet adorned with bull’s horn and ear. Reverse: MAHARAJASA TRATARASA HERAMAYASA; Zeus‑Mithra seated slightly left, raising right hand and holding scepter in left; monogram in left field. Bilingual issue with clear legends, centrally struck on a compact flan with light surface granularity. Bopearachchi 4B; HGC 12, 291. Hermaios was a late Indo‑Greek ruler in the Kabul–Gandhara region whose coinage bridges Hellenistic and South Asian traditions. The Greek and Kharosthi legends address a mixed population, while the Zeus‑Mithra type reflects Greco‑Iranian syncretism. His issues became prototypes for early Kushan coinage, notably the extensive imitations naming Hermaios struck by Kujula Kadphises, demonstrating the enduring authority of his types and standards in the region.