Pantaleon

Indo-Greek king
Pantaleon
Coin of Pantaleon.
Indo-Greek king
Reign190–180 BC
PredecessorDemetrius I
SuccessorAgathocles
Died180 BCE
DynastyEuthydemid dynasty
FatherEuthydemus I
King Pantaleon in profile, with Zeus on the reverse.
Agathocles commemorative coin for Pantaleon, represented on the obverse.

Pantaleon (Ancient Greek: Πανταλέων), also known as Panteleimon (Παντελεήμων), was a Greek king who reigned some time between 190–180 BC in Bactria and India. He was a younger contemporary or successor of the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius, and is sometimes believed to have been his brother and/or subking.

The scarcity of his coinage indicates a short reign. Known evidence suggests that he was replaced by his (probable) brother or son Agathocles, by whom he was commemorated on a "pedigree" coin.

Copper-Nickel coinage

Some of his coins (as well as those of Agathocles and Euthydemus II) have another surprising characteristic: they are made of copper-nickel alloy, a technology that would not be developed in the West until the 18th century, but was known by the Chinese at the time. This suggests that exchanges of the metallic alloy or technicians happened between China and the region of Bactria.

Bilingual Indian-standard coinage

He was the first Greek king to strike Indian coins, peculiar irregular bronzes representing a lion with a dancing Indian woman, probably the goddess Lakshmi (a type also known in the Post-Mauryan coinage of Gandhara), which suggests he had his base in Arachosia and Gandhara and wanted support from the native population.

  • Pantaleon coin with dancing woman (Lakshmi?) and lion. Obverse: Brahmi legend "Rajane Patalevasa" ("King Pantaleon").
    Pantaleon coin with dancing woman (Lakshmi?) and lion. Obverse: Brahmi legend "Rajane Patalevasa" ("King Pantaleon").
  • Dancing woman, possibly Lakshmi, on a coin of Pantaleon.
    Dancing woman, possibly Lakshmi, on a coin of Pantaleon.
  • v
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Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings, territories and chronology
Based on Bopearachchi (1991)[t 1]
Greco-Bactrian kings Indo-Greek kings
Territories/
dates
West Bactria East Bactria Paropamisade
Arachosia Gandhara Western Punjab Eastern Punjab Mathura[t 2]
326-325 BCE Campaigns of Alexander the Great in India Nanda Empire
312 BCE Creation of the Seleucid Empire Creation of the Maurya Empire
305 BCE Seleucid Empire after Mauryan war Maurya Empire
280 BCE Foundation of Ai-Khanoum
255–239 BCE Independence of the
Greco-Bactrian kingdom
Diodotus I
Emperor Ashoka (268-232 BCE)
239–223 BCE Diodotus II
230–200 BCE Euthydemus I
200–190 BCE Demetrius I Sunga Empire
190-185 BCE Euthydemus II
190–180 BCE Agathocles Pantaleon
185–170 BCE Antimachus I
180–160 BCE Apollodotus I
175–170 BCE Demetrius II
160–155 BCE Antimachus II
170–145 BCE Eucratides I
155–130 BCE Yuezhi occupation,
loss of Ai-Khanoum
Eucratides II
Plato
Heliocles I
Menander I
130–120 BCE Yuezhi occupation Zoilus I Agathoclea Yavanarajya
inscription
120–110 BCE Lysias Strato I
110–100 BCE Antialcidas Heliocles II
100 BCE Polyxenus Demetrius III
100–95 BCE Philoxenus
95–90 BCE Diomedes Amyntas Epander
90 BCE Theophilus Peucolaus Thraso
90–85 BCE Nicias Menander II Artemidorus
90–70 BCE Hermaeus Archebius
Yuezhi occupation Maues (Indo-Scythian)
75–70 BCE Vonones Telephus Apollodotus II
65–55 BCE Spalirises Hippostratus Dionysius
55–35 BCE Azes I (Indo-Scythians) Zoilus II
55–35 BCE Vijayamitra/ Azilises Apollophanes
25 BCE – 10 CE Gondophares Zeionises Kharahostes Strato II
Strato III
Gondophares (Indo-Parthian) Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian)
Kujula Kadphises (Kushan Empire) Bhadayasa
(Indo-Scythian)
Sodasa
(Indo-Scythian)
  1. ^ O. Bopearachchi, "Monnaies gréco-bactriennes et indo-grecques, Catalogue raisonné", Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 1991, p.453
  2. ^ Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2 April 2019). "History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE". BRILL – via Google Books.

External links

  • Coins of Pantaleon
  • Catalogue of coins of Pantaleon
Preceded by Indo-Greek Ruler
(Arachosia, Gandhara)

190–185 BCE
Succeeded by
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Argeads
Antipatrids
Antigonids
Ptolemies
Monarchs of Cyrene
Seleucids
Lysimachids
Attalids
Greco-Bactrians
Indo-Greeks
Monarchs of Bithynia
Monarchs of Pontus
Monarchs of Commagene
Monarchs of Cappadocia
Monarchs of the
Cimmerian Bosporus
Monarchs of Epirus
Hellenistic rulers were preceded by Hellenistic satraps in most of their territories.