Nicias (Indo-Greek king)

2nd/1st century BC Indo-Greek king

Nicias

Portrait of Nicias as a young king

Indo-Greek king
Reign| 90–85 BC

Coin of king Nicias (c. 90–85 BC) Obv: Bust of Nicias with Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΝΙΚΙΟΥ "Of Saviour King Nicias". Rev: King in armour, holding a palm of victory in his left hand, and making a gesture of benediction with his right hand, similar to the Buddhist vitarka mudra. Kharoshti legend MAHARAJA TRATARASA NIKIASA "Saviour King Nicias".

Nicias (Greek: Νικίας; r. 90 – 85 BC) was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the Paropamisade. Most of his relatively few coins have been found in northern Pakistan, indicating that he ruled a smaller principate around the lower Kabul valley. He was possibly a relative of Menander I.

## Time of reign[edit]

Bopearachchi suggests that Nicias ruled c. 90–85 BC. This late date is supported by the absence of Attic coins (see below).

R. C. Senior on the other hand places him as a successor of Menander, c. 135–125 BC, according to his interpretation of hoard findings.

Regardless of which period is correct, the fact that Nicias ages visibly on his coins seems to indicate some longevity to his rule.

## The coinage of Nicias[edit]

Coin of Nicias, with king making a benediction gesture (obverse).

Nicias struck Indian silver drachms of diademed or helmeted king with three reverses:

* A standing king in armour making a blessing gesture, found on several drachms.
* An en face version of Menander's Athena with thunderbolt is found on a unique tetradrachm.
* The third reverse is the type king on a prancing horse, as used by Antimachus II found on a single drachm.

His bronzes feature Zeus/dolphin or portrait / king on prancing horse. Some varieties are crude with lunate sigmas and square omicrons. Even though Nikias ruled in the western parts of the Indo-Greek realm, no Attic coins have been found.

Nicias in uniform making a blessing gesture.

His monograms generally match those of the kings Theophilus and Philoxenus, though one is shared with Thrason, the short-lived son of Menander I.

## See also[edit]

* Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
* Seleucid Empire
* Greco-Buddhism
* Indo-Scythians
* Indo-Parthian Kingdom
* Kushan Empire

## References[edit]

## Sources[edit]

* The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies by Thomas McEvilley (Allworth Press and the School of Visual Arts, 2002) ISBN 1-58115-203-5
* The Greeks in Bactria and India, W.W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.

## External links[edit]

* Indo-Greek history and coins
* Ancient coinage of the Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms
* Le Roi indo-grec Nicias Le Sauveur

Preceded by

Theophilos

|  Indo-Greek ruler in Paropamisadae
90–85 BC  | Succeeded by

Hermaeus

|
|

* v
* t
* e

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.

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