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Philoxenus Anicetus

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(Redirected from King Philoxenus) For others with the same name, see Philoxenus. Indo-Greek king
Philoxenus
Portrait of Philoxenus
Indo-Greek king
Reign100–95 BCE
DiedMathura
Silver tetradrachm of king Philoxenus.
Obv: Helmetted, diademed and draped bust of Philoxenus. Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΙΚΗΤΟΥ ΦΙΛΟΞΕΝΟΥ "Of the Invincible King Philoxenus"
Rev: King on prancing horse in military dress. Kharoshti legend MAHARAJASA APADIHATASA PHILASINASA "Undefeatable King Philoxenus".
Coin of Philoxenus, making a blessing gesture with his right hand. Kharoshti legend MAHARAJASA APADIHATASA PHILASINASA "Invincible King Philoxenus". British Museum.

Philoxenus Anicetus (Greek: Φιλόξενος ὁ Ἀνίκητος; epithet means "the Invincible") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the region spanning the Paropamisade to Punjab. Philoxenus seems to have been quite an important king who might briefly have ruled most of the Indo-Greek territory. Bopearachchi dates Philoxenus to c. 100–95 BCE and R. C. Senior to c. 125–110 BCE.

Historians have not yet connected Philoxenus with any dynasty, but he could have been the father of the princess Kalliope, who was married to the king Hermaeus.

Coins of Philoxenos

Philoxenus struck several series of bilingual Indian silver coins, with a reverse of a mounted king, a type previously used as obverse by Antimachus II sixty years earlier and as reverse on rare types of Nicias. Whether the horseman was a dynastic emblem or a portrait of the king as a cavalryman is unclear. Several Saka kings used similar horsemen on their coinage.

Philoxenus means "lover of foreigners" or "hospitable" in Greek, and considering that his drachms were square, a feature that was rare among Indo-Greeks but standard for Sakas, this shows that Philoxenus had good connection and relations with the nomads that had conquered Bactria.

Philoxenus struck bronzes with female deity/bull, or Helios/Nike.

Philoxenus also minted some Attic-type tetradrachms (with Greek legend only), meant for circulation in Bactria.

Overstrikes

Philoxenos with head of Gorgon.

One overstrike is known, of Epander over Philoxenus.

Other coins

  • Philoxenus on horse. Philoxenus on horse.
  • Philoxenus coin in the Indian square standard. Japan Currency Museum. Philoxenus coin in the Indian square standard. Japan Currency Museum.
  • Coin of Phyloxenos. Coin of Phyloxenos.

See also

References

  • The Greeks in Bactria and India, W. W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.

External links

Preceded byAntialcidas
(in Paropamisade, Arachosia, Gandhara)
Indo-Greek Ruler
(in Paropamisadae, Arachosia,
Gandhara, Punjab)

100 – 95 BC
Succeeded byDiomedes
(in Paropamisade)
Succeeded byAmyntas
(in Arachosia, Gandhara)
Preceded byDemetrius III or Polyxenios
(in Punjab)
Succeeded byEpander
(in Punjab)
Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings, territories and chronology
Based on Bopearachchi (1991)
Greco-Bactrian kings Indo-Greek kings
Territories/
dates
West Bactria East Bactria Paropamisade
Arachosia Gandhara Western Punjab Eastern Punjab Mathura
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.
Hellenistic rulers
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.

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