Item number: A1652

Year: 35-12 BC

Material: Silver

Size: 24.5 x 24.2 x 2.2 mm

Weight: 9.3 g

Provenance: Coincraft 2017

This is a silver tetradrachm minted between 35 BC and 12 BC by Azes II, a ruler of the Indo-Scythian Kingdom in the northwestern Indian subcontinent. The existence of Azes II remains a subject of scholarly debate, with some researchers arguing that Azes II and the earlier ruler Azes I may, in fact, be the same person rather than distinct monarchs.

The obverse of the coin follows the typical design style of the Indo-Scythian Kingdom, featuring a portrait of the king on horseback, holding a whip. Surrounding the image is a Greek inscription in Hellenistic script, reading “BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY AZOY”, which translates to “King of Kings, the Great Azes.”

The reverse of the coin features a deity venerated by the Indo-Scythian Kingdom, often depicting either Buddha, native to the Indian subcontinent, or Greek deities introduced following Alexander the Great’s eastern conquests. At the centre, the Zeus is shown facing right, holding a sceptre and a symbolic object associated with Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. On either side of the deity, a monogram is present, while the surrounding inscription is written in Kharosthi script, a now-extinct language, repeating the king’s title: “King of Kings, the Great Azes.”

The Indo-Scythian Kingdom refers to the realm established by the Saka and Scythian nomadic peoples, who ruled from circa 90 BC to AD 10, with their political centre in what is now Pakistan. These Central Asian nomads migrated into the Indian subcontinent and came under the influence of Hellenistic culture, which had persisted in the region since Alexander the Great’s eastern conquests. This cultural fusion contributed to the development of Gandhara Buddhist art, which blended Indian and Greek artistic traditions.

物件編號: A1652

年代: 公元前 35-12 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 24.5 x 24.2 x 2.2 mm

重量: 9.3 g

來源: 錢幣工藝 2017

這是一枚公元前35至12年，南亞次大陸西北部的印度-斯基泰王國的統治者阿澤斯二世鑄造的四德拉克馬銀幣。學界目前對於阿澤斯二世是否存在仍有爭議，有些學者認為阿澤斯二世和稍早的阿澤斯一世為同一位統治者。

錢幣正面是印度-斯基泰王國典型的錢幣設計風格，一名握著馬鞭騎著駿馬的國王肖像，周圍以古希臘文打印銘文「BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY AZOY」，意思是「王中之王，偉大的阿澤斯」。

錢幣背面則以印度-斯基泰王國供奉的神明作為裝飾，常見的有發源自印度在地的佛陀，以及亞歷山大大帝東征以來傳入的希臘神明。錢幣中間是面朝右側，手上拿著權杖和希臘神話中象徵勝利的「尼姬」勝利女神代表物。宙斯的左右兩側分別有一個花押，周圍以現今成為消亡語言的佉盧文標示國王頭銜「王中之王，偉大的阿澤斯」。

印度-斯基泰王國是對於公元前90年至公元10年間，以現今巴基斯坦為統治中心，遊牧民族塞迦人和斯基泰人建立的王國。這些從中亞進入南亞次大陸的遊牧民族，受到亞歷山大大帝東征以來遺留在當地的希臘化文化影響，形成結合印度和希臘風格的犍陀羅佛教藝術。