Spaniard Posted June 11, 2022 · Supporter Share Posted June 11, 2022 I've been busy emptying coins from my albums and trays to fill and display in my cabinet...Came across this interesting little 12mm coin that I hadn't seen for a while....picked this up from @Finn235 a few years back when a hoard came up on ebay.... Indo-Scythian Satrap (Governor) Rajuvula 10-25 CE Billon DrachmObverse..Bust of king right, crude Greek legend around BASILEPS SPYROS (the affluent or rich)?Reverse..Athena Alkidemos standing left, holding horizontal shield on outstretched left arm, hurling thunderbolt with right hand, monograms at left and right, Kharoshthi legend around: chatrapasa apratihatachakrasa rajuvulasa.(whose laws are unbreakable)? Rajuvula was an Indo-Scythian Satrap (governor) who ruled the area of Mathura in and around the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh from around 10-25 CE. He supposedly invaded Eastern Punjab replacing the last two Indo-Greek kings Strato I and his son Strato II, with his coins copying the Greek design. If anyone has any more info it would be much appreciated. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Snible Posted June 12, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 12, 2022 I have a bunch of conflicting information about these coins. It is possibly my information is out of date. Check out Rajuvula's Wikipedia page which is fairly detailed. Circa 25-15 BC Silver Drachm, 2.36g, 13.6mm This obverse lacks an inscription. Someone told me examples with the long mustache are later. Rajuvula was satrap to the Into-Skythians. Plant (Greek, Asiatic, Semetic p. 119) calls him Rajabula and says the obverse, Greek, inscription is "Razi, King of kings, savior". Plant writes that the reverse is Kharosthi APRaTIHaTaChaKRaSa "invincible with the discus" and ChhaTRaPaSa RaJaBULaSa "the Satrap Rajabula". Kharosthi letters are blends. Plant writes them out in Latin letters by capitalizing the first part of each letter. I prefer how Wikipedia does it with dashes. For example, the name is four letters: 𐨪𐨗𐨂𐨬𐨂𐨫 Ra-ju-vu-la, Rajuvula. The reverse shows Athena "Promachos" ("Athena who fights in the front line") standing left, brandishing thunderbolt and shield, with monogram to right; the Kharoshthi legend around Chatrapasa Apratihatachakrasa Rujuvulasa ("of Satrap Rajuvula of the Invincible Chakra") according to someone else, I forget who. Alex Fishman used to write that Rujuvula was a Satrap of Chach, and later of Jammu, which he took from the Greeks. Later, after capturing Mathura, he assumed the title of Mahakshatrapa, which he held until his death in circa 1/10 AD. 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn235 Posted June 12, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 12, 2022 Nice, Paul. I had forgotten I sold you one of these - and they were from CNG, not eBay. Ebay was where I lost about $60 trying to sell the rest of them 😞 I kept one for myself, too, but apparently don't have it imaged yet. My Indian binder is quite large and most of it isn't imaged yet! As for the interesting reverse legend, I do recall a bit about that. So in Sanskrit, Apratihata means most literally "irresistible" but could also be interpreted as "unhindered". Chakra literally means wheel or disc, but it doesn't take much imagination to say that it is most likely referencing the Dharmachakra, or Wheel of Law: Thus, the most literal translation could be taken as "Irresistible disc" but more liberally could have been intended as "Unhindered/Unbreakable Law". I'm of course no expert on Sanskrit, so I would love to hear more from someone who could speak with more authority! 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniard Posted June 12, 2022 · Supporter Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 @Ed Snible & @Finn235... Thanks for the extra info much appreciated....I'll research this type and see what I come up with... Certainly an area not well covered.. Or at least not we'll understood. Steve I think a while back you posted a Strato coin too...Really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alegandron Posted June 12, 2022 · Supporter Share Posted June 12, 2022 I got this coin because the SCYTHIANS were BAD-AS dudes from the Steppes... India Indo-Scythian King Azes I 57-30BCE AR Drachm 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeandAcre Posted June 23, 2022 · Member Share Posted June 23, 2022 Very cool, @Alegandron. This will be dumbly obvious to anyone posting on this thread, but I really like the way this riffs on Baktrian issues. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velarfricative Posted July 10, 2022 · Member Share Posted July 10, 2022 An early and a late issue of Rajuvula; he issued a few lead types too, but these small drachms were his main issues. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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