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

Menander I, Square Unit, bronze, 165–130 BC, 6.01 g, 21 mm.

Uncertain royal mint, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Obverse: Helmeted and draped bust of Athena right; legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ. Reverse: Nike standing right, holding wreath and palm; Kharosthi legend MAHARAJASA TRATARASA MENAMDRASA (“of the Great King, the Savior Menander”). Struck on a square flan with bilingual legends (Greek and Kharosthi), in the local Indian bronze tradition; issued c. 165–130 BC. Mitchiner 242a; Bopearachchi série 31, 183. Historical significance: Menander I Soter was the most prominent Indo-Greek ruler, remembered in Indian sources as “Milinda.” His administration extended Hellenistic control across the Punjab and Gandhara, and his coinage adopted Indian monetary forms while retaining Greek iconography. This bilingual square bronze demonstrates deliberate communication to both Greek- and Kharosthi-reading populations and illustrates the cultural and administrative integration of Greek and South Asian traditions under his rule.