Kingdom Bacteria
The Greek-Byzantine Kingdom
In the far east of the Hellenistic world there was a Greek kingdom called The Bactrian Kingdom Or the Bactrian kingdom, located in the region between India and Iran, encompassing present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its capital was called Bactria or Bakhtra, which is the modern-day city of Balkh in Afghanistan. The similarity in name is clear, as you can see. In fact, most of what we know about that kingdom comes from its coins, which were characterized by their beautiful design and precise minting. This kingdom was founded after the death of Alexander the Great and continued to exist until the beginning of the first century AD.
Here we present a Bactrian tetradrachm coin minted in the capital city of Bactria around the middle of the 2nd century BC, during the reign of King Eucrates I. On the obverse, we see a depiction of a legendary heroic figure, the Greek equivalent of Heracles, wearing a helmet, holding a spear, and displaying his prominent muscles. On the reverse, we see the Dioscorides twins, demigods according to Greek belief, who were venerated in various places as protectors of sailors. The king's name is inscribed on the margin.
BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛOY – EYKPATIΔOY
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