Menander I Soter AR Tetradrachm, Athena Alkidemos, Bilingual, c.165–130 BC

Menander I, Tetradrachm, Silver, 165–130 BC, uncertain royal mint; 9.38 g. Obv: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ; helmeted, draped bust of Menander right. Rev: Kharosthi legend MAHARAJASA TRATARASA MENAMDRASA; Athena Alkidemos advancing left, hurling thunderbolt and holding shield; monogram in right field. Struck on a compact flan with bilingual legends; die axis approx. 12h; minor peripheral flatness typical for the series. Bopearachchi 16E; SNG ANS 868–74. Menander I, the most prominent ruler of the Indo-Greek Kingdom, expanded Greek control across Gandhara and the Punjab. His bilingual coinage, pairing Greek and Kharosthi legends with the Alkidemos Athena type, demonstrates administrative outreach to both Hellenic and South Asian audiences and set the standard for later Indo-Greek issues. He is generally identified with the “Milinda” of the Buddhist Milindapañha, indicating documented engagement between Hellenistic and Buddhist intellectual traditions.