The "Azes era" (also known as the ''Aja'' or ''Ajasa'' era,

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

: ''Ayasa vaṣaye'') starting 47/46 BCE, was named after the

Indo-Scythian Indo-Scythians (also called Indo-Sakas) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples of Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into modern day Pakistan and Northwestern India from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th centur ...

king, "King Azes the Great" or

Azes I Azes I ( Greek: , epigraphically ; Kharosthi: , ) was an Indo-Scythian ruler who ruled around c. 48/47 BCE – 25 BCE with a dynastic empire based in the Punjab and Indus Valley, completed the domination of the Scythians in the northwestern Ind ...

. As a number of inscriptions are dated in this era it is of great importance in dating the reigns of several kings and events in early

Indian history According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by m ...

. Earlier, some scholars believed that the Azes era was same as the

Vikrama Samvat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...

(57 BCE) used in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

. However, this was disputed by Robert Bracey following discovery of an inscription of

Vijayamitra Vijayamitra (ruled 12 BCE - 20 CE) was an Indo-Scythian king of the Apracas who ruled in the north-western region of ancient India, located in Bajaur of modern Pakistan. Rukhana reliquary Vijayamitra is mentioned in a recently discovered inscr ...

, which is dated in two eras. Research by Falk and Bennett (2009) shows that these two were indeed separate eras, and that the Azes era can be dated with a high degree of likelihood to 47 BCE, or c. 48/47 or 47/46 BCE, depending on whether it began in the spring or the autumn. It is now thought that the Azes era was probably created by Azes as a continuation of the Arsacid era which started in 247 BCE and marked the foundation of the

Parthian Empire The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conque ...

, year 1 of Azes corresponding exactly to year 201 of the Arsacid era. The Azes era was recently connected to the

Yavana era The Yavana Era, or Yona (Prakrit: ''Yoṇaṇa vaṣaye'') was a computational era used in the Indian subcontinent from the 2nd century BCE for several centuries thereafter, probably starting in 174 BCE.Des Indo-Grecs aux Sassanides: données pour ...

thanks to the

Rukhana reliquary The Rukhuna reliquary, also sometimes Rukhana reliquary, also described as the Bajaur reliquary inscription, is a Scythian reliquary which was dedicated and inscribed in 16 CE by Rukhuna, Queen of Indo-Scythian king Vijayamitra (ruled 12 BCE - 20 ...

inscription.

Footnotes

References

* {{cite journal, author=Harry Falk and Chris Bennett , year=2009 , title=Macedonian Intercalary Months and the Era of Azes, url=https://www.academia.edu/349875 , journal=Acta Orientalia , issue=70 , pages=197–215 , issn=0001-6438 , accessdate=11 April 2014 * Senior, R. C, (2008). "The Final Nail in the Coffin of Azes II." ''Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society'' 197 (2008), pp. 25–27. Calendar eras Specific calendars History of India Chronology