BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Antialkidas, circa 130-120 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 24 mm, 9.81 g, 1 h), Indian standard, Kapisa (?). ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ / ΑΝΤΙΑΛΚΙΔΟΥ Diademed heroic bust of Antialkidas to left, seen from behind, holding spear in his right hand and wearing aegis on his left shoulder. Rev. 'Maharajasa jayadharasa Amtialkidasa' ('of Great King Antialkidas the Victory-bearer' in Karoshti) Zeus standing facing, holding Nike in his right hand and long transverse scepter in his left; behind, elephant walking left; in field to left, monogram. Bopearachchi Série 8A. HGC 12, 254. MIG Type 274a. SNG ANS -. Very rare. The finest known example of this iconic issue, with light iridescent toning and an impressive heroic portrait and a very interesting reverse. Extremely fine.

Antialkidas is one of the very few Indo-Greek kings for whom we have evidence beyond his coinage. He is mentioned on the famous Heliodoros Pillar, arguably the most spectacular Hellenistic archaeological discovery on the Indian subcontinent. Unearthed in 1877 by Sir Alexander Cunningham in Vidisha (formerly Besnagar), Madhya Pradesh, the pillar was part of an ancient temple complex dedicated to Vāsudeva. However, its true significance remained unrecognized until 1909-1910, when a second team re-examined it and discovered an inscription in Brahmi, which they subsequently translated. To fully appreciate the excitement that swept through Western scholars upon this revelation, one must read the inscription in its entirety. 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲 𑀯𑀸(𑀲𑀼𑀤𑁂)𑀯𑀲 𑀕𑀭𑀼𑀟𑀥𑁆𑀯𑀚𑁄 𑀅𑀬𑀁 = [de]vadevasa v[ā][sude]vasa garuḍadhvaje ayaṃ 𑀓𑀭𑀺𑀢𑁄 𑀇(𑀅) 𑀳𑁂𑀮𑀺𑀉𑁄𑀤𑁄𑀭𑁂𑀡 𑀪𑀸𑀕 = karite i[a?] heliodoreṇa bhāga- 𑀯𑀢𑁂𑀦 𑀤𑀺𑀬𑀲 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑁂𑀡 𑀢𑀔𑁆𑀔𑀲𑀺𑀮𑀸𑀓𑁂𑀦 = vatena diyasa putreṇa ta[khkha]silākena 𑀬𑁄𑀦𑀤𑀢𑁂𑀦 𑀅𑀕𑀢𑁂𑀦 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀭𑀸𑀚𑀲 = yonadūtena āgatena mahārājasa 𑀅𑀁𑀢𑀮𑀺𑀓𑀺𑀢𑀲 𑀉𑀧𑀁𑀢𑀸 𑀲𑀁𑀓𑀸𑀲𑀁𑀭𑀜𑁄 = aṃtalikitasa upa[ṃ]tā sakāsam raño 𑀓𑀸𑀲𑀻𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀲 𑀪𑀸𑀕𑀪𑀤𑁆𑀭𑀲 𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀢𑀸𑀭𑀲 = kāsīput[r]asa [bh]āgabhadrasa trātārasa 𑀯𑀲𑁂𑀦 (𑀘𑀢𑀼)𑀤𑀲𑁂𑀁𑀦 𑀭𑀸𑀚𑁂𑀦 𑀯𑀥𑀫𑀸𑀦𑀲 = vasena ca[tu]dasena rājena vadhamānasa 'This Garuda pillar of Vāsudeva, the gods of gods, was constructed here by Heliodora, the Bhāgavata, son of Diya, of Takhkhasilā, the Greek ambassador who came from the Great King Aṃtalikita to King Kāsīputra Bhāgabhadra, the Savior prospering in (his) fourteenth regnal year' The key word yona, meaning ‘Greek’ (derived from ‘Ionian’), provides the clue as to how the other names should be interpreted. Heliodora, son of Diya is, in fact, Heliodoros, son of Dion. A native of Taxila (Takhkhasilā), he served as the ambassador of the Great King Antialkidas (Aṃtalikita) at the court of the Śuṅga ruler Bhāgabhadra. Thus, we are dealing with a representative of the Indo-Greek king Antialkidas, who, around 100 BC, commissioned - in central India! - a pillar in a temple dedicated to an Indian deity. This pillar stands as an extraordinary testament to cross-cultural exchange: whether Heliodoros himself claimed Greek identity or was merely designated as such by the stonecutter, the very act of inscribing it here is of profound historical significance. For an in-depth discussion of the inscription, one may turn to Rachel Mairs’ brilliant study, The Hellenistic Far East: Archaeology, Language, and Identity in Greek Central Asia (Oakland, 2014). For our purposes, however, it suffices to note that the multicultural character of the Heliodoros Pillar finds a striking parallel in our magnificent tetradrachm - one of the finest masterpieces of Indo-Greek die engraving. This coin masterfully blends an imposing heroic bust of the king, adorned with the Hellenistic diadem, a spear, and Athena’s aegis, with a reverse depiction of Zeus, who, in the interpretatio indica, is represented by an elephant. The cultural hybridity of the coin is further underscored by its bilingual inscriptions - Greek on the obverse and Kharoṣṭhī on the reverse. Antialkidas, whose fierce and warlike portrait on this coin ranks among the most outstanding examples of Hellenistic portraiture, emerges as a bridge between the Hellenistic world of the West and the rich cultural landscape of the Indian subcontinent. The wide circulation of his coinage, together with the Heliodoros Pillar, which still acknowledges him as a powerful foreign sovereign deep in central India - within the realm of the Śuṅga ruler Bhāgabhadra - suggests that Antialkidas was one of the last, if not the last, significant Indo-Greek ruler. By the 1st century BC, his successors gradually lost control over the Punjab as a succession of increasingly fragmented and warring minor kings was ultimately supplanted by indigenous rulers such as the Northern Satraps