Books by Olivier Bordeaux
La présence des Grecs en Asie Centrale et en Inde est la conséquence directe des expéditions d’Al... more La présence des Grecs en Asie Centrale et en Inde est la conséquence directe des expéditions d’Alexandre le Grand, lesquelles donneront naissance vers 250 avant J.-C. au royaume gréco-bactrien et vers 180 avant J.-C. au royaume indo-grec, séparés par l’Hindu Kush. L’étude des monnaies frappées par les 45 rois de ces deux royaumes est fondamentale pour comprendre leur évolution économique et politique.
A partir d’un corpus majoritairement inédit, fondé sur les monnaies issues du marché de l’art, Olivier Bordeaux se focalise sur six souverains présentant des problématiques remarquables: la division du monnayage des souverains homonymes Diodote I et II, l’évolution typologique des monnaies d’Euthydème I, les liens existants entre les monnayages d’Eucratide I et de Ménandre I, la place d’Hippostrate dans les souverains indo-grecs et indo-scythes.
La méthodologie retenue, l’étude de coins, nous a permis d’apporter de nouvelles et précieuses informations sur les ateliers monétaires et le sens que l’on peut attribuer aux monogrammes, ainsi que sur les relations souvent conflictuelles entretenues par les Grecs en Inde.
The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms find their origins in the consequences following Alexander the Great’s expeditions in Central Asia and India. Circa 250 BC, the Seleucid satrap seceded from the Seleucid kingdom and became king under the name Diodotus I; the Indo-greek kingdom appears circa 180 BC when the Greeks cross the Hindu Kush. The coins struck by the 45 Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings are the main data available to historians.
Mostly based on unpublished coins sold on the art market, Olivier Bordeaux focuses on six kings, each of them offering a specific problematic: the coinages of Diodotus I and II, that presents the same title and typology; the evolution of the Heracles on the reverse of Euthydemus I’s coins; the links regarding especially the position of the legend on Eucratides I’s and Menander I’s coins; the position of Hippostratos among the last Indo-Greek kings in the West Panjab and the Indo-Scythians.
The data provided by the die-studies allows us to dismiss or sustain the many hypotheses concerning the mints and their locations, the meaning of monograms as well as the often conflictual relations shared by the Greeks in Central Asia.
Articles by Olivier Bordeaux
Археологические работы в Таджикистане, 2023
После работы в Тахти Сангине и поисковых работ в нескольких южных районах страны, таджикско-франц... more После работы в Тахти Сангине и поисковых работ в нескольких южных районах страны, таджикско-французская миссия Южного Таджикистана передислоцировала свою деятельность в Дангарскую долину (илл. 1). Она остановила свое внимание на ансамбле из нескольких археологических объектов, у которых греко-бактрийские и кушанские слои были выявлены нашими коллегами из Института истории, археологии и этнографии НАНТ. Рамки нашей работы подробно изложены в недавней статье, опубликованной в сборнике, посвященном юбилею Т. Филимоновой.
Monuments et mémoires de la Fondation Eugène Piot , 2021
Vue d'ensemble S ituée à la rencontre des mondes iranien et indien, la Bactriane constitue un ter... more Vue d'ensemble S ituée à la rencontre des mondes iranien et indien, la Bactriane constitue un territoire étranger à l'utilisation de la monnaie avant l'arrivée d'Alexandre le Grand en Asie centrale vers 330 1 : les transactions utilisent le métal brut débité au poids quelle que soit leur forme 2. Cette situation change radicalement à partir de 329, avec l'installation de colons grecs et macédoniens coutumiers non seulement de l'utilisation de la monnaie, mais également de sa fabrication. La chronologie de ces émissions monétaires de la fin du iv e siècle reste peu claire, mais elles seront suivies des toutes premières frappes séleucides en Bactriane aux environs de 294, c'est-à-dire au début de la corégence de Séleucos I er (311-281) avec son fils Antiochos I er (281-261). Que s'est-il passé en Bactriane entre 329 et 294 ? Deux révoltes, brutalement réprimées, se produisent en 325 et 323, à l'initiative de colons n'ayant sans doute nulle intention de s'établir de manière pérenne en Asie centrale, mais plutôt de rentrer dans leur patrie après avoir accumulé leur propre butin 3 .
Revue Numismatique, 2019
Cet article s’intéresse aux monnaies des périodes hellénistique et kouchane (IIIe siècle av. J.-C... more Cet article s’intéresse aux monnaies des périodes hellénistique et kouchane (IIIe siècle av. J.-C.-IVe siècle apr. J.-C.) en provenance des fouilles franco-afghanes de Bactres (Balkh, Afghanistan), dont 113 exemplaires ont été identifiés. La répartition des monnaies d’Euthydème I (230-190 av. J.-C.) et celle des imitations Yuezhi d’Hélioclès I (IIe-Ier siècles av. J.-C.) dans la vallée de l’Oxus font l’objet d’études particulières, à partir des données numismatiques livrées par les fouilles récentes en Asie centrale. Ces nouvelles données permettent d’approfondir notre connaissance de la place de Bactres dans le paysage numismatique aux périodes étudiées.
This paper deals with the Hellenistic and Kushan coins (3rd ca BCE-4th ca CE) found in the French-Afghan excavations of Bactra (Balkh, Afghanistan), i.e. 113 coins in total. The distribution pattern of the coins of Euthydemus I (ca 230-190 BCE) as well as the Yuezhi imitations of Heliocles I (2nd-1st c. BCE) in the Oxus valley is considered in detail, based on numismatic data from recent archaeological excavations in Central Asia. These new data contribute to a better understanding of Bactra’s place in the numismatic landscape during the aforementioned periods.
Book Chapters by Olivier Bordeaux
Transcending Boundaries: Premodern Cultural Transactions across Asia. Essays in Honour of Osmund Bopearachchi, 2024
丝路文明多学科交叉合作研究的回顾与展望 , 2024
丝路文明多学科交叉合作研究的回顾与展望, 2024
The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World, 2020
This chapter focuses on the monetary politics adopted by the first independent Hellenistic rulers... more This chapter focuses on the monetary politics adopted by the first independent Hellenistic rulers of Central Asia during the third century BCE, at a time when they seceded from Seleucid authority. Based upon recent research and die-studies, we discuss the main features of the coinages struck by Diodotus I, Diodotus II and Euthydemus I, the first three kings of the Graeco-Bactrian kingdom. This chapter also addresses essential problems, such as the interpretation of monograms, and questions related to quantification.
Archaeology of Afghanistan, 2019
Book Reviews by Olivier Bordeaux
Ancient West & East, 2019
Conference Presentations by Olivier Bordeaux
Menander I distinguishes himself from his fellow Indo-Greek rulers in many essential ways. His co... more Menander I distinguishes himself from his fellow Indo-Greek rulers in many essential ways. His coinage is numerically the most important among the Indo-Greek kings, and he is one of the few Greek rulers to be mentioned both in Greek and Indian written sources. His rule is directly related to the reign of Eucratides I, as they both made war to each other on a scale so large that it shaped their respective kingdoms for decades to come. Menander is also remembered as one of the great conqueror of India, a role which also deeply influenced his rule. This presentation will address every aspect of the coinage of this king, and what we may learn from it.
Mathurā: The Archaeology of Inter-Religious Encounters in Ancient India, 25-26 July 2019, Ruhr-Un... more Mathurā: The Archaeology of Inter-Religious Encounters in Ancient India, 25-26 July 2019, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
The death of Alexander the Great brutally interrupted the process of setting up a unified monetar... more The death of Alexander the Great brutally interrupted the process of setting up a unified monetary system in his empire, and left Bactria still as an un-monetized territory while cities were already founded and colons settled. In this context, the pre-Seleucid strikes imitating the Athenian owls, as well as the “eagle” coins and the coinage of Sophytos have puzzled numismatists and historians for a long time, whether regarding their chronology, iconography or minting place.
The publication of the funerary epigram of Sophytos in or near Kandahar in 2004 led Paul Bernard to attribute to Arachosia the coinage of the homonymous ruler. Recent discoveries however still pinpoint the location of this coinage north of the Hindu Kush. What is more, a reassessment of the origin of Athenian owls is now necessary, in view of their links with the coinage struck in the name of Andragoras, especially monograms.
This presentation thus aims to present the results of a die-study conducted on a corpus of over 330 coins of both rulers, which provides an unprecedented frame for their monetary politics. The period between 323 and 294 BCE, that is before the first Seleucid coins are struck in Bactria, still indeed remains a blur, in part due to the lack of well-identified archaeological discoveries related to this period.
The questions raised by these coinages mainly focus on attribution problematics, recently-challenged chronologies, and territorial implementation. Which monetary politics were adopted by Sophytos and Andragoras in order to make Bactrians accept their coinage? The study will also address the question of iconographical cross-influence with their immediate neighbours.
The excavations led by the Afghan and French archaeologists in Balkh took place between 2004 and ... more The excavations led by the Afghan and French archaeologists in Balkh took place between 2004 and 2008 over six campaigns, under the supervision of Roland Besenval, in partnership with the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA) and the National Institute of Archaeology of Afghanistan, then directed by Nader Rassouli. Although the stratigraphy of the Tepe Zargaran (the “goldsmiths’ hill”, main focus of the excavation) was upset by numerous pillage galleries, several Hellenistic architectural blocks were found reused in a later period. In 2008, the oldest archaeological layers were found on the western part of the tepe, as attested by the ceramic material found there.
Over 3,000 bronze coins were unearthed during the excavations, of which 113 Hellenistic and Kushan issues could be identified (respectively 14 and 99) during a detailed study led at DAFA house in Kabul in early 2017. The oldest finds date back to the 3rd century BCE. The Hellenistic period is mainly represented by Euthydemus I (c. 230-190 BCE), while the Kushan coins cover a longer period (2nd century BCE – 4th century CE), from Yuezhi strikes to the Late Kushans.
This presentation addresses the corpus of these coins in order to expand our knowledge of monetary production and circulation in the Oxus valley. The numerous coin finds of Ai Khanoum belonging to the Hellenistic period are henceforth put into perspective by the results of numerous subsequent excavations in Central Asia. Bactra holds a special place as capital of Bactria, although its role as a mint during the Graeco-Bactrian period has been challenged. The posthumous imitations of Heliocles I also help to place the oasis of Bactra during the rule of the Yuezhi yabghus, while the Kushan coins reveal no typological novelties. Altogether, these excavations and the monetary finds provide new material in order to reconsider the position of Bactra during the Hellenistic and Kushan periods.
Numismatics is one of the leading fields in Hellenistic Central Asia studies, since it has enable... more Numismatics is one of the leading fields in Hellenistic Central Asia studies, since it has enabled historians to identify 45 different Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings, while written sources only speak of 10. The coins struck by the Greek kings are often remarkable, both because of their quality and the multiple innovations some of them show: India iconography, local language (Brahmi or Kharoshthi), new weight system, etc. Yet, broad studies by properly trained numismatists still remained scarce, while new coins mainly find their origin on the art market rather than archaeological digs. The current situation in Central Asia, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan, does not help archaeologists to broaden their fieldwork.
Die-studies are more and more often the methodology followed by the numismatists in the last decade, so as to draw as much data as possible from large corpora. During our PhD research, we focused on six kings: Diodotus I and II, Euthydemus I, Eucratides I, Menander I and Hippostratus. Beyond individual results and hypothesis, we tried to ascertain this particular methodology regarding Central Asia Greek coinages. Generally, our die-studies provided good outcomes, while most of our attempts to geographically locate mints or even borders remain quite fragile, in the lack of archaeological data.
Nonetheless, we would like to present new topics and problematics currently examined in Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek numismatics, whether they are field-linked or not. We will try to provide arguments regarding the production of gold, silver and bronze coins, the latter most likely decentralized throughout the Graeco-Bactrian kingdom. Coins are central in the understanding of royal policies as well as the day-to-day work of the mint workers and life of the Greeks in Central Asia.
Eucratides I holds a special place in the heart of Central Asia studies, because of his coinage, ... more Eucratides I holds a special place in the heart of Central Asia studies, because of his coinage, numerically the most important among the Graeco-Bactrian kings, and its evolution. Represented by no less than 25 gold, silver and bronze series, and 71 monograms according to Omsund Bopearachchi’s counting in 1991, our presentation will focus on the single series 6, and a corpus of 751 coins. This corpus is mainly based on auction-sold coins on the occidental art-market, completed by already published coins. The vast majority of our corpus is therefore unpublished and originates from looted hoards and fortuitous finds in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1990 to 2010.
We followed the methodology of a die-study, which consists of a systematic comparison of all coins of the same denomination – obverse and reverse – in order to distinguish the style of the different engravers and to associate different monograms.
The coinage of Eucratides I is closely linked to Menander’s I, because of the war that the two kings fought against one another. The coinage of Menander changes from uninterrupted-legend coins (1h-11h) to interrupted-legend coins (9h-3h and 7h-4h) on the obverse (Greek legend) and reverse (kharoshti legend). This new study focuses on the aspect of the transition in the coinage of Eucratides I.
This paper will also adress two important questions: what significance can we deduce from the multiplicity of monograms (39) in a single series of Eucratides I? What geographical and historical grounds can we give to the end of his reign?
Menander I holds a special place in the heart of Central Asia studies, for very many reasons. Whi... more Menander I holds a special place in the heart of Central Asia studies, for very many reasons. While his coinage is numerically the most important among the Indo-Greek kings, it represents no less than 57 monograms and 38 different series of coins according to Osmund Bopearachchi's counting in 1991. Our own research adds up several new series and monograms, whether unpublished or unused in preexisting series. As with the study of the Diodotids' coinage we presented two years ago in Paris, our corpus is mainly based on auction-sold coins on the occidental art market, which originates from looted hoards and fortuitous finds in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1990.
We added to this corpus several unpublished hoards documented and photographed by Osmund Bopearachchi in Pakistan in the 1990's: Bajaur (1993), Mian Khan Sanghou (1993), Siranwali (1993), Rhotak (1994), Sarai Saleh (1994) and Wesa (1994). Our whole corpus thus sums up to about 2,000 coins. We followed the same methodology as for the Diodotids' coinage for Menander's, which is die-study. It consists of a systematic comparison of all coins of the same denomination - obverse and reverse - in order to distinguish the style of the different engravers and to associate monograms.
The coinage of Menander I finds its particular importance in the transition between uninterrupted-legend coins (1h-11h) and interrupted-legend (9h-3h and 7h-4h) on the obverse (Greek legend) and reverse (Kharoshthi legend). This transition is closely linked to Eucratides I's coinage, especially his 20-staters issue (series 4) and the adaptation of the position of the legend.
Our curretly ongoing research focuses on this evolution, which we will give detail of the progressive steps. Did the war started by Eucratides the usurper affect Menander's coinage and how? We will try to show what consequences the multiplicity of monograms have, depending on which type of coins they appear, and theur relations to the location of hoards find spots.
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Books by Olivier Bordeaux
A partir d’un corpus majoritairement inédit, fondé sur les monnaies issues du marché de l’art, Olivier Bordeaux se focalise sur six souverains présentant des problématiques remarquables: la division du monnayage des souverains homonymes Diodote I et II, l’évolution typologique des monnaies d’Euthydème I, les liens existants entre les monnayages d’Eucratide I et de Ménandre I, la place d’Hippostrate dans les souverains indo-grecs et indo-scythes.
La méthodologie retenue, l’étude de coins, nous a permis d’apporter de nouvelles et précieuses informations sur les ateliers monétaires et le sens que l’on peut attribuer aux monogrammes, ainsi que sur les relations souvent conflictuelles entretenues par les Grecs en Inde.
The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms find their origins in the consequences following Alexander the Great’s expeditions in Central Asia and India. Circa 250 BC, the Seleucid satrap seceded from the Seleucid kingdom and became king under the name Diodotus I; the Indo-greek kingdom appears circa 180 BC when the Greeks cross the Hindu Kush. The coins struck by the 45 Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings are the main data available to historians.
Mostly based on unpublished coins sold on the art market, Olivier Bordeaux focuses on six kings, each of them offering a specific problematic: the coinages of Diodotus I and II, that presents the same title and typology; the evolution of the Heracles on the reverse of Euthydemus I’s coins; the links regarding especially the position of the legend on Eucratides I’s and Menander I’s coins; the position of Hippostratos among the last Indo-Greek kings in the West Panjab and the Indo-Scythians.
The data provided by the die-studies allows us to dismiss or sustain the many hypotheses concerning the mints and their locations, the meaning of monograms as well as the often conflictual relations shared by the Greeks in Central Asia.
Articles by Olivier Bordeaux
This paper deals with the Hellenistic and Kushan coins (3rd ca BCE-4th ca CE) found in the French-Afghan excavations of Bactra (Balkh, Afghanistan), i.e. 113 coins in total. The distribution pattern of the coins of Euthydemus I (ca 230-190 BCE) as well as the Yuezhi imitations of Heliocles I (2nd-1st c. BCE) in the Oxus valley is considered in detail, based on numismatic data from recent archaeological excavations in Central Asia. These new data contribute to a better understanding of Bactra’s place in the numismatic landscape during the aforementioned periods.
Book Chapters by Olivier Bordeaux
Book Reviews by Olivier Bordeaux
Conference Presentations by Olivier Bordeaux
The publication of the funerary epigram of Sophytos in or near Kandahar in 2004 led Paul Bernard to attribute to Arachosia the coinage of the homonymous ruler. Recent discoveries however still pinpoint the location of this coinage north of the Hindu Kush. What is more, a reassessment of the origin of Athenian owls is now necessary, in view of their links with the coinage struck in the name of Andragoras, especially monograms.
This presentation thus aims to present the results of a die-study conducted on a corpus of over 330 coins of both rulers, which provides an unprecedented frame for their monetary politics. The period between 323 and 294 BCE, that is before the first Seleucid coins are struck in Bactria, still indeed remains a blur, in part due to the lack of well-identified archaeological discoveries related to this period.
The questions raised by these coinages mainly focus on attribution problematics, recently-challenged chronologies, and territorial implementation. Which monetary politics were adopted by Sophytos and Andragoras in order to make Bactrians accept their coinage? The study will also address the question of iconographical cross-influence with their immediate neighbours.
Over 3,000 bronze coins were unearthed during the excavations, of which 113 Hellenistic and Kushan issues could be identified (respectively 14 and 99) during a detailed study led at DAFA house in Kabul in early 2017. The oldest finds date back to the 3rd century BCE. The Hellenistic period is mainly represented by Euthydemus I (c. 230-190 BCE), while the Kushan coins cover a longer period (2nd century BCE – 4th century CE), from Yuezhi strikes to the Late Kushans.
This presentation addresses the corpus of these coins in order to expand our knowledge of monetary production and circulation in the Oxus valley. The numerous coin finds of Ai Khanoum belonging to the Hellenistic period are henceforth put into perspective by the results of numerous subsequent excavations in Central Asia. Bactra holds a special place as capital of Bactria, although its role as a mint during the Graeco-Bactrian period has been challenged. The posthumous imitations of Heliocles I also help to place the oasis of Bactra during the rule of the Yuezhi yabghus, while the Kushan coins reveal no typological novelties. Altogether, these excavations and the monetary finds provide new material in order to reconsider the position of Bactra during the Hellenistic and Kushan periods.
Die-studies are more and more often the methodology followed by the numismatists in the last decade, so as to draw as much data as possible from large corpora. During our PhD research, we focused on six kings: Diodotus I and II, Euthydemus I, Eucratides I, Menander I and Hippostratus. Beyond individual results and hypothesis, we tried to ascertain this particular methodology regarding Central Asia Greek coinages. Generally, our die-studies provided good outcomes, while most of our attempts to geographically locate mints or even borders remain quite fragile, in the lack of archaeological data.
Nonetheless, we would like to present new topics and problematics currently examined in Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek numismatics, whether they are field-linked or not. We will try to provide arguments regarding the production of gold, silver and bronze coins, the latter most likely decentralized throughout the Graeco-Bactrian kingdom. Coins are central in the understanding of royal policies as well as the day-to-day work of the mint workers and life of the Greeks in Central Asia.
We followed the methodology of a die-study, which consists of a systematic comparison of all coins of the same denomination – obverse and reverse – in order to distinguish the style of the different engravers and to associate different monograms.
The coinage of Eucratides I is closely linked to Menander’s I, because of the war that the two kings fought against one another. The coinage of Menander changes from uninterrupted-legend coins (1h-11h) to interrupted-legend coins (9h-3h and 7h-4h) on the obverse (Greek legend) and reverse (kharoshti legend). This new study focuses on the aspect of the transition in the coinage of Eucratides I.
This paper will also adress two important questions: what significance can we deduce from the multiplicity of monograms (39) in a single series of Eucratides I? What geographical and historical grounds can we give to the end of his reign?
We added to this corpus several unpublished hoards documented and photographed by Osmund Bopearachchi in Pakistan in the 1990's: Bajaur (1993), Mian Khan Sanghou (1993), Siranwali (1993), Rhotak (1994), Sarai Saleh (1994) and Wesa (1994). Our whole corpus thus sums up to about 2,000 coins. We followed the same methodology as for the Diodotids' coinage for Menander's, which is die-study. It consists of a systematic comparison of all coins of the same denomination - obverse and reverse - in order to distinguish the style of the different engravers and to associate monograms.
The coinage of Menander I finds its particular importance in the transition between uninterrupted-legend coins (1h-11h) and interrupted-legend (9h-3h and 7h-4h) on the obverse (Greek legend) and reverse (Kharoshthi legend). This transition is closely linked to Eucratides I's coinage, especially his 20-staters issue (series 4) and the adaptation of the position of the legend.
Our curretly ongoing research focuses on this evolution, which we will give detail of the progressive steps. Did the war started by Eucratides the usurper affect Menander's coinage and how? We will try to show what consequences the multiplicity of monograms have, depending on which type of coins they appear, and theur relations to the location of hoards find spots.
A partir d’un corpus majoritairement inédit, fondé sur les monnaies issues du marché de l’art, Olivier Bordeaux se focalise sur six souverains présentant des problématiques remarquables: la division du monnayage des souverains homonymes Diodote I et II, l’évolution typologique des monnaies d’Euthydème I, les liens existants entre les monnayages d’Eucratide I et de Ménandre I, la place d’Hippostrate dans les souverains indo-grecs et indo-scythes.
La méthodologie retenue, l’étude de coins, nous a permis d’apporter de nouvelles et précieuses informations sur les ateliers monétaires et le sens que l’on peut attribuer aux monogrammes, ainsi que sur les relations souvent conflictuelles entretenues par les Grecs en Inde.
The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms find their origins in the consequences following Alexander the Great’s expeditions in Central Asia and India. Circa 250 BC, the Seleucid satrap seceded from the Seleucid kingdom and became king under the name Diodotus I; the Indo-greek kingdom appears circa 180 BC when the Greeks cross the Hindu Kush. The coins struck by the 45 Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings are the main data available to historians.
Mostly based on unpublished coins sold on the art market, Olivier Bordeaux focuses on six kings, each of them offering a specific problematic: the coinages of Diodotus I and II, that presents the same title and typology; the evolution of the Heracles on the reverse of Euthydemus I’s coins; the links regarding especially the position of the legend on Eucratides I’s and Menander I’s coins; the position of Hippostratos among the last Indo-Greek kings in the West Panjab and the Indo-Scythians.
The data provided by the die-studies allows us to dismiss or sustain the many hypotheses concerning the mints and their locations, the meaning of monograms as well as the often conflictual relations shared by the Greeks in Central Asia.
This paper deals with the Hellenistic and Kushan coins (3rd ca BCE-4th ca CE) found in the French-Afghan excavations of Bactra (Balkh, Afghanistan), i.e. 113 coins in total. The distribution pattern of the coins of Euthydemus I (ca 230-190 BCE) as well as the Yuezhi imitations of Heliocles I (2nd-1st c. BCE) in the Oxus valley is considered in detail, based on numismatic data from recent archaeological excavations in Central Asia. These new data contribute to a better understanding of Bactra’s place in the numismatic landscape during the aforementioned periods.
The publication of the funerary epigram of Sophytos in or near Kandahar in 2004 led Paul Bernard to attribute to Arachosia the coinage of the homonymous ruler. Recent discoveries however still pinpoint the location of this coinage north of the Hindu Kush. What is more, a reassessment of the origin of Athenian owls is now necessary, in view of their links with the coinage struck in the name of Andragoras, especially monograms.
This presentation thus aims to present the results of a die-study conducted on a corpus of over 330 coins of both rulers, which provides an unprecedented frame for their monetary politics. The period between 323 and 294 BCE, that is before the first Seleucid coins are struck in Bactria, still indeed remains a blur, in part due to the lack of well-identified archaeological discoveries related to this period.
The questions raised by these coinages mainly focus on attribution problematics, recently-challenged chronologies, and territorial implementation. Which monetary politics were adopted by Sophytos and Andragoras in order to make Bactrians accept their coinage? The study will also address the question of iconographical cross-influence with their immediate neighbours.
Over 3,000 bronze coins were unearthed during the excavations, of which 113 Hellenistic and Kushan issues could be identified (respectively 14 and 99) during a detailed study led at DAFA house in Kabul in early 2017. The oldest finds date back to the 3rd century BCE. The Hellenistic period is mainly represented by Euthydemus I (c. 230-190 BCE), while the Kushan coins cover a longer period (2nd century BCE – 4th century CE), from Yuezhi strikes to the Late Kushans.
This presentation addresses the corpus of these coins in order to expand our knowledge of monetary production and circulation in the Oxus valley. The numerous coin finds of Ai Khanoum belonging to the Hellenistic period are henceforth put into perspective by the results of numerous subsequent excavations in Central Asia. Bactra holds a special place as capital of Bactria, although its role as a mint during the Graeco-Bactrian period has been challenged. The posthumous imitations of Heliocles I also help to place the oasis of Bactra during the rule of the Yuezhi yabghus, while the Kushan coins reveal no typological novelties. Altogether, these excavations and the monetary finds provide new material in order to reconsider the position of Bactra during the Hellenistic and Kushan periods.
Die-studies are more and more often the methodology followed by the numismatists in the last decade, so as to draw as much data as possible from large corpora. During our PhD research, we focused on six kings: Diodotus I and II, Euthydemus I, Eucratides I, Menander I and Hippostratus. Beyond individual results and hypothesis, we tried to ascertain this particular methodology regarding Central Asia Greek coinages. Generally, our die-studies provided good outcomes, while most of our attempts to geographically locate mints or even borders remain quite fragile, in the lack of archaeological data.
Nonetheless, we would like to present new topics and problematics currently examined in Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek numismatics, whether they are field-linked or not. We will try to provide arguments regarding the production of gold, silver and bronze coins, the latter most likely decentralized throughout the Graeco-Bactrian kingdom. Coins are central in the understanding of royal policies as well as the day-to-day work of the mint workers and life of the Greeks in Central Asia.
We followed the methodology of a die-study, which consists of a systematic comparison of all coins of the same denomination – obverse and reverse – in order to distinguish the style of the different engravers and to associate different monograms.
The coinage of Eucratides I is closely linked to Menander’s I, because of the war that the two kings fought against one another. The coinage of Menander changes from uninterrupted-legend coins (1h-11h) to interrupted-legend coins (9h-3h and 7h-4h) on the obverse (Greek legend) and reverse (kharoshti legend). This new study focuses on the aspect of the transition in the coinage of Eucratides I.
This paper will also adress two important questions: what significance can we deduce from the multiplicity of monograms (39) in a single series of Eucratides I? What geographical and historical grounds can we give to the end of his reign?
We added to this corpus several unpublished hoards documented and photographed by Osmund Bopearachchi in Pakistan in the 1990's: Bajaur (1993), Mian Khan Sanghou (1993), Siranwali (1993), Rhotak (1994), Sarai Saleh (1994) and Wesa (1994). Our whole corpus thus sums up to about 2,000 coins. We followed the same methodology as for the Diodotids' coinage for Menander's, which is die-study. It consists of a systematic comparison of all coins of the same denomination - obverse and reverse - in order to distinguish the style of the different engravers and to associate monograms.
The coinage of Menander I finds its particular importance in the transition between uninterrupted-legend coins (1h-11h) and interrupted-legend (9h-3h and 7h-4h) on the obverse (Greek legend) and reverse (Kharoshthi legend). This transition is closely linked to Eucratides I's coinage, especially his 20-staters issue (series 4) and the adaptation of the position of the legend.
Our curretly ongoing research focuses on this evolution, which we will give detail of the progressive steps. Did the war started by Eucratides the usurper affect Menander's coinage and how? We will try to show what consequences the multiplicity of monograms have, depending on which type of coins they appear, and theur relations to the location of hoards find spots.
Our presentation will thus focus on the evolution of the Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms as well as the Kushan Empire through their coinages, that is what kind of information coins bear and how they convey, in connection to the latest archaeological discoveries.
The conference was recorded and is online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOYPvaQeWOs