DIODOTUS I ~ THE RISE OF THE GREEK KINGDOM IN BACTRIA

Diodotus was a satrap of Bactria-Sogdiana, who revolted against the Seleucid Antiochus II and proclaimed himself king, thus laying the foundation of the Graeco-Bactrian kingdom. The date of his revolt has been a subject of much debate. It has been placed between 256 and 239 BCE, the majority of scholars arguing for about the year 250. He was succeeded by his son Diodotus II .

Apart from the classical sources, our knowledge of Diodotus depends, to a great extent, on numismatic evidence. His gold and silver coins can be divided into two distinct groups. In the first group, while keeping his sovereign’s name, Diodotus introduced his own portrait instead of the portrait of Antiochus II, and replaced the most common Seleucid reverse type, Apollo seated on the Omphalus, by a full-length figure of a thundering Zeus with an eagle at His feet. By minting these coins in the name of Antiochus II but with his own portrait, Diodotus showed a formal attachment to his Seleucid sovereignty while taking a revolutionary step towards independence, without taking the royal title. In the second group, not only the portrait and the reverse type, but also the name are those of Diodotus. It is evident that Diodotus, had taken the final step towards his independence. The beginning of the Seleucid satrapy of Bactria-Sogdiana as a totally independent kingdom may be dated at around 239-38 BCE.

A later Bactrian king, Demetrius (reigned c. 190–167 BCE), took his armies into the Punjab and finally down the Indus valley and gained control of northwestern India. This introduced what has come to be called Indo-Greek rule. The chronology of the Indo-Greek rulers is based largely on numismatic evidence. Their coins were, at the start, imitations of Greek issues, but they gradually acquired a style of their own, characterized by excellent portraiture. The legend was generally inscribed in Greek, Brahmi, and kharosthi.

Source: Encyclopaedia Iranica