Eucratides I.

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20-fold gold stater of Eucratides I. It is one of the largest gold coins minted in antiquity

Eukratides I was a Greco-Bactrian king who lived from around 171 to 145 BC. Ruled. He eliminated the ruling dynasty of Euthydemus I in Bactria and founded his own dynasty. He succeeded in conquering parts of the Indus valley at times . A large number of coins have survived from his reign. He is also mentioned in the historical work of Junianus Justinus , which is remarkable in that most of the Greco-Bactrian kings hardly receive any attention in the sources or they were not known to the historians. He also calls him the great one .

Ancient sources

The main source about the ruler is Junianus Justinus:

“At about the same time as Mithridates ascended the throne with the Parthians, Eucratides began to rule with the Bactrians; they were both great men. However, luck raised the Parthians, as they were more successful under this ruler, to the highest power, whereas the Bactrians were involved in many wars and not only lost their territories but also their freedom. They suffered from tension with the Sogdians, Drangians and Indians and were eventually overrun by the weaker Parthians because they were powerless. Eucratides waged various wars with great spirit, although he lost many. He was besieged by Demetrius, King of the Indians with a garrison of only 300 people, but was able to withstand an army of 60,000 enemies through constant eruptions. After escaping after five months of siege, he reduced India under his power. On returning home from the country, he was killed by his son, with whom he had shared the throne and who was ready to hide the murder that he went through with a chariot, as if he had killed an enemy and not his father whose blood ran, and he ordered his body to be abandoned and not to be buried. "

further information can be found at Strabon :

"(To the Parthians) And they took part of Bactria, forcing the Scythians and before that Eucratides and his successors to serve them."

“(Description of Bactria and the cities) Among them was Eukratiadia, named after their ruler. The Greeks conquered it (Bactria) and divided it into satrapies, from which the satrapy Turiva and that of Aspionus were taken from the Parthians from Eucratides. "

"Because Eucratides, one of them (ruler of Bactria) ruled 1000 cities."

From Ai Khanoum there is an ink inscription on a vessel that indicates a 24th year of reign as a date. This dating relates with high probability to Eucratides I and therefore belongs to 147 BC. BC, shortly before the city was destroyed.

Origin and accession to the throne

Eucratides I and the parents Heliocles and Laodike

After Junianus Justinus, Eucratides I came to the throne when Mithridates I of Parthia also ascended the throne, which was around the year 171 BC. Happened. Junianus Justinus expressly names Eucratides I as an important ruler whose military deeds should not last long.

The exact origin of the ruler is disputed, as are many details of the history of the Greco-Bactrian Empire. Some coins may show the parents of Eukratides I. His father was a certain Heliocles, his mother a certain Laodike, who was perhaps related to the royal house of the Seleucids , as the name Laodike was very popular in this house. However, the name is also attested elsewhere, so this connection is not mandatory. In any case, Eucratides I does not seem to have been related to the dynasty of Euthydemos I, which previously ruled in Bactria.

government

Silver tetradrachm Eucratides' I.

Junianus Justinus mainly describes the campaigns of Eukratides I, who waged war against Demetrios, King of the Indians and defeated 60,000 Demetrios' soldiers with only 300 soldiers during a siege by Demetrios. Demetrios, King of the Indians , will mean an Indo-Greek king , but it is not clear whether it was Demetrios I or Demetrios II . The conquest of parts of India is confirmed by the ruler's bilingual coins showing inscriptions in Greek and Kharoshthi .

In Bactria, however, Eukratides suffered losses. From the information provided by Strabo it can be concluded that the Parthian king Mithridates I managed to conquer parts of Bactria. On the way from India back to Bactria, Eucratides I is said to have been murdered by his son. The son's name is not recorded. It was either Eucratides II or Heliocles I. The ruler's body was not buried and his son is said to have desecrated it with a chariot.

The conquests of Eucratides II did not last. Some less important rulers followed him until the empire of Bactria was destroyed by the nomadic Yuezhi .

The city of Eukratideia is probably its foundation. It has not yet been identified with certainty, but the Ai Khanoum site has been suggested. A 20- stater gold coin originates from Eukratides I. It is the largest ancient gold coin of all. He is also tentatively credited with the expansion of the last phase of the palace in Ai Khanoum. The discovery of Indian objects in the treasure house there may be pieces of booty from his Indian campaigns.

literature

Web links

Commons : Eukratides I.  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Junianus Justinus, XLI, 6
  2. ↑ a b c d Strabon, Geographika , xi, 9, 11; xv, 1, 3
  3. ^ Paul Bernard: The Greek Colony at Aϊ Khanum and Hellenism in Central Asia. In: Fredrik Hiebert, Pierre Cambon (eds.). Afghanistan. Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. National Geographic, Washington DC 2008, ISBN 978-1-4262-0295-7 , pp. 81–129, here p. 110.
  4. ^ Walter Otto : Heliokles 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume VIII, 1, Stuttgart 1912, column 44 f.
  5. ↑ Abodh K. Narain: The Indo-Greeks. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1957, p. 54.
  6. ↑ mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy , VI, 1, 7; Strabo xi. 11
personal data
SURNAME Eucratides I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century BC BC or 2nd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 2nd century BC Chr.