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BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Zoilos I Dikaios. Circa 150-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33mm, 16.93 g, 12h). Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / ∫Å%5¬EW% d5˚Å5oU around, zo52oU in exergue, Herakles standing facing, holding wreath and club; I to inner left. Bopearachchi 1A = HGC 12, 216 (same rev. die as illustration); Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS 966 (same dies, but later die state); MIG –. In NGC encapsulation 6157848-001, graded Ch AU ★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Fine Style. Exceptional portrait in high relief. Extremely rare, one of three known specimens.
Although virtually nothing is now known about the reign of Zoilos I Dikaios (”The Just”), the scant evidence from coinage argues for his importance as a ruler in the Indo-Greek realms and possibly Baktria. We know two of his Indic-weight coins, a drachm and a tetradrachm, were overstruck by types of Menander, indicating he reigned concurrently with, and perhaps in opposition to, that great Indo-Greek king in Arachosia, the Paropamisadai, and Ghandara (see CNG 37, 20 March1996, lot 825 and R.C. Senior. "Menander versus Zoilos - another overstrike," ONS Newsletter No. 150 [Autumn 1996], p. 12, ill. 2). His exceptionally rare tetradrachms on the heavier Attic weight standard (three known specimens, of which this is unquestionably the finest) suggest he may have held power briefly in parts of Baktria, perhaps during the chaotic collapse of Eukratides I’s regime. On both his Indic and Attic-weight coins, he uses the standing figure of Herakles as a reverse, evoking the types employed by Demetrios I Aniketos, the first king to extend Greek rule into India, and his successor Euthydemos II. Whether this implies a distant dynastic connection cannot be known. Wherever he fits into the sequence of rulers, the style of portraiture and quality of engraving on the coinage of Zoilos are extraordinary and among the best of the entire Baktrian series, as can be readily seen on this medallic Attic-weight tetradrachm.
The final winners of all Triton XXVI lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 10-11 January 2023.
Triton XXVI – Session Two – Lot 335-673 will be held Tuesday afternoon, 10 January 2023 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.
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