Eucratides I (Eucratides I; ancient Greek Ευκρατίδης , about 171 - 145 BC ) is the Greco-Bactrian king who overthrew the Eutidemid dynasty and subjugated all their possessions, including Indian ones. He appropriated the title of king of kings , probably because not only the rulers of certain areas of the Greco-Bactrian state were subordinate to him, but also local kings who existed both in Indian and other parts of the country. Strabo , referring to Apollodorus of Artemita , claimed that there were a thousand cities under the rule of Eucratides.
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Biography
Its origin is unknown. When Eucratides already became king, a series of coins was minted, on the reverse side of which portraits of a man and a woman of mature age were placed. The legend of the reverse says that they belong to a certain Heliocles and Laodike, apparently, to the king’s parents. According to Tarn, Laodice (and this name was ancestral in the Seleucid family), depicted in a diadem, which is a sign of belonging to the royal house, was the daughter of Antiochus III . At the same time, the scientist believes that the organization of the uprising of Eucratides was the work of the Seleucids in the hope of undermining the power of Greco-Bactria. True, other researchers, for example, S.P. Tolstov, believe that the reverse of these coins depicts the son of Eucratides Heliocles and his bride and that these coins were issued in honor of the marriage of the heir to the throne. The name Laodike was relatively widespread among the Greeks, so it could belong to a woman from any other Hellenistic or Hellenized dynasty.
The details of Eucratides coming to power also remain unknown. Perhaps earlier he headed one of the satrapies or was a representative of the Greek colonists. The adherent of the second version is S. P. Tolstov
The reign of Eucratides is marked by numerous internal and external conflicts.
Justin reports that a war broke out between Eucratides and King Demetrius . So, besieged in a fortress with a small detachment, Eucratides applied tactical cunning and, through constant sorties, gradually defeated the enemy. Most likely, the main reason for the victory was the retreat of Demetrius, caused by some more important circumstances that interested him.
Under Eucratis, according to Strabo, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom loses part of the western possessions in the area of Merv and Herat , captured by the Parthians : Aspion and Turivu. Justin also speaks of the existing rivalry of the two young states, up in which the subjects of Mithridates I won.
Relations with Parthia were far from the only foreign policy concern of Eucratides. The same Justin notes the constant war against the Sogdians, Arachots, Drangs, Ares. Boperacci suggests that the king conquered the Paropamisades , Arachosia and Gandhara . In honor of this event, the famous series of the largest of the famous gold antique coins was minted - weighing about 168 grams. each one.
Since the emergence of Greco-Bactria, the nomads living near the northern borders have been a big problem. Probably, I had to fight with those tribes that eventually destroyed the kingdom - Toharas, Asians, Sakaravlis, Pasians.
Justin also mentions the campaign of Eucratides in India. True, its details are unknown. This message is confirmed by numismatic material - coins of the king with a bilingual legend, which was written in Greek and Indian Pali.
The end of the life of the great “king of kings” was deplorable. On the way back from India, he was killed by his son and co-ruler Heliocles (according to another version - , on the back of the coins of which a chariot is depicted), who abused his father's corpse, moving a dead body on chariot 1 . After which the body of Eucratides was cast without burial. Perhaps, according to many Greeks , this became a just punishment for Eucratides for the war between the Greeks, which he launched.
Under the descendants of Eucratides, imperial power is weakening.
Notes
- Justin XLI 6.5
Sources
Strabo, XI.11.2
Literature
Tolstov S. P. The rise and collapse of the Hellenistic empire of the “Far East” // VDI. No. 3-4. 1940.
Tarn W.V. The Greeks in Bactria and India. - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010 .-- 600 p.
Naryan A.K. Indo-Greeks.
Boperacci O. Greco-Bactrian Monarchy.