Eucratides I AR drachm, Indo-Greek, 171–145 BC, Dioskouroi

Eucratides I, drachm, silver, reign 171–145 BC; struck 171–145 BC, 4.25 g, 20 mm. Indo-Greek Kingdom, uncertain mint. Obverse anepigraphic: diademed and draped bust of Eucratides right within a dotted border. Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ above, EΥKΡATIΔOΥ in exergue; the Dioskouroi on rearing horses right, each wearing pileus with star and holding spear; monogram below. Struck on a broad, slightly irregular flan with centrally placed portrait and clear reverse devices; minor peripheral softness at the upper legend. For type: BIGR Eucratides I 2.4; Bopearachchi 2D. Eucratides I assumed power in Bactria in the mid-2nd century BC and waged campaigns that pushed Greco-Bactrian control toward the northwestern Indian regions. His coinage standardized large silver denominations bearing a prominent royal portrait and the Dioskouroi, a Macedonian cavalry symbol used to assert Hellenistic legitimacy after a dynastic takeover. These issues occur widely across Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, marking the circulation of Greek-style silver along Central Asian trade routes. Literary sources record that his reign ended in a violent palace coup, making the coinage a primary dated witness to his rule.