Indo-Greek Menander I AE square unit, Athena/Nike, bilingual, 165–130 BC

Menander I, Square Unit, bronze, 165–130 BC, 11.51 g, 23 mm. Indo-Greek Kingdom, uncertain royal mint. Obverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ, helmeted and draped bust of Athena right. Reverse: Kharosthi legend MAHARAJASA TRATARASA MENAMDRASA, Nike standing right holding wreath and palm. Struck on a square flan with bilingual legends (Greek and Kharosthi). Mitchiner 242a; Bopearachchi série 31, 183. Menander I (Soter) was the leading Indo-Greek ruler, extending control from Bactria into the Punjab and issuing extensive bilingual coinages to serve mixed Greek and Indian populations. The square bronze fabric follows Indian monetary traditions, while the Greek types of Athena and Nike reflect Hellenistic iconography. His reign is closely linked to the Buddhist text Milindapañha, and coins such as this exemplify the administrative and cultural integration of Greek and South Asian systems in the mid–2nd century BC.