Kujula Kadphises (Kushan language: Κοζουλου Καδφιζου, also Κοζολα Καδαφες;

Kharosthi The Kharoṣṭhī script, also spelled Kharoshthi (Kharosthi: ), was an ancient Indo-Iranian script used by various Aryan peoples in north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely around present-day northern Pakistan and e ...

: 𐨐𐨂𐨗𐨂𐨫 𐨐𐨯,

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ', '; Ancient Chinese: 丘就卻, ''Qiujiuque''; reigned 30–80 CE, or 40-90 CE according to

Bopearachchi Osmund Bopearachchi (born 1949) is a Sri Lankan historian and numismatist who has specialized notably standardized the coinage of the Indo-Greek and Greco-Bactrian kingdoms. He is currently Emeritus Director of the CNRS at the École Normale Supé ...

Osmund Bopearachchi, 2007
Some observations on the chronology of the early Kushans
/ref>) was a Kushan prince who united the Yuezhi confederation in

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia in Amu Darya's middle stream, stretching north of the Hindu Kush, west of the Pamirs and south of the Gissar range, covering the northern part of Afghanistan, sou ...

during the 1st century CE, and became the first Kushan emperor. According to the

Rabatak inscription The Rabatak Inscription is an stone inscribed with text written in the Bactrian language and Greek script, found in 1993 at the site of Rabatak, near Surkh Kotal in Afghanistan. The inscription relates to the rule of the Kushan emperor Kani ...

, he was the great grandfather of the great Kushan king

Kanishka I Kanishka I ( Sanskrit: कनिष्क, '; Greco-Bactrian: Κανηϸκε ''Kanēške''; Kharosthi: 𐨐𐨞𐨁𐨮𐨿𐨐 '; Brahmi: '), or Kanishka, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (c. 127–150 CE) the empire ...

. He is considered the founder of the

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, ...

History

The origins of Kujula Kadphises are quite obscure, and he is usually believed to be a descendant of the Kushan ruler Heraios, or possibly identical with him. However, Kujula shares his name (Kushan: Κοζουλου on some of his "Hermaeus" coins, or Κοζολα on his "Augustus" coins) with some of the last

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 c ...

rulers, such as Liaka Kusulaka (Greek: ''Λιακα Κοζουλο''), or his son

Patika Kusulaka Patika Kusulaka (Kharosthi: , ) was an Indo-Scythian satrap in the northwestern South Asia during the 1st century BCE. Name Patika Kusulaka's name appears on the Taxila copper plate as (). This name is composed of: (), which is from the Saka nam ...

, which might suggest some family connection.

Chinese accounts

In the process of their expansion eastward, Kujula Kadphises and his son Vima Takto (or Vema Tahktu) seem to have displaced the

Indo-Parthian The Indo-Parthian Kingdom was a Parthian kingdom founded by Gondophares, and active from 19 CE to c. 226 CE. At their zenith, they ruled an area covering parts of eastern Iran, various parts of Afghanistan and the northwest regions of the Indian ...

kingdom, established in northwestern India by the

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

Gondophares Gondophares I ( Greek: Γονδοφαρης ''Gondopharēs'', Υνδοφερρης ''Hyndopherrēs''; Kharosthi: 𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨥𐨪 ', '; 𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨥𐨪𐨿𐨣 ', '; 𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨂𐨵𐨪‎ ', ') was the founder of the Indo-Parthian ...

since around 20 CE:

His son, Yangaozhen robably_Vema_Tahktu_or,_possibly,_his_brother_Sadaṣkaṇa.html" ;"title="Sadaṣkaṇa.html" ;"title="robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa">robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa">Sadaṣkaṇa.html" ;"title="robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa">robably Vema Tahktu or, possibly, his brother Sadaṣkaṇa became king in his place. He defeated Tianzhu [North-western India] and installed Generals to supervise and lead it. The Yuezhi then became extremely rich. All the kingdoms call [their king] the Guishuang [Kushan] king, but the Han call them by their original name, Da Yuezhi reat YuezhiHill (2009), p. 29.

The invasion of the Indo-Parthian kingdom led by Kujula Kadphises is thought to have occurred some time after 45 CE, during the reign of

's successors: Abdagases and Sases.

Genealogy according to the Rabatak inscription

The connection of Kujula with other Kushan rulers is described in the

, discovered in Rabatak in what was once

in 1993, which was inscribed by Kanishka. Kanishka states Kujula Kadphises to be his great-grandfather, Vima Taktu to be his grandfather, Vima Kadphises to be his father, and himself Kanishka:

And he anishkagave orders to make images of the same, (namely) of these gods who are written herein, and he gave orders to make (them) for these kings: for King Kujula Kadphises (his) great grandfather, and for King Vima Taktu (his) grandfather, and for King Vima Kadphises (his) father, and for himself, King Kanishka.

Khalchayan

Some of the statues of the Khalchayan palatial site in

, dated circa 50 CE, probably corresponded to the rule of Kujula Kadphises.

Coinage

The coinage of the Kushan ruler, Kujula Kadphises, shows us the enlargement of the religious horizon of the Kushans. His first issue, which has the debased portrait and name of Hermaeus on the obverse, shows

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...

on the reverse, still following the Greek tradition, even though Heracles may be the Interpretatio graeca of the Iranian god Verethragna, contrary to earlier assumptions, which regarded Kujula Kadphises as Buddhist on the basis of the epithet. File:Silver denarius of Tiberius 14CE 37CE found in India Indian copy of a the same 1st century CE Coin of Kushan king Kujula Kadphises copying a coin of Augustus.jpg, Left Silver denarius of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

(14-37 CE) found in India. Center Indian copy of the same, 1st century CE. Right Coin of Kushan king Kujula Kadphises copying a coin of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

. File:Kujula Kadphises Tetradrachm.jpg, Kujula Kadphises Tetradrachm. Obv Brahma bull standing right, with Buddhist Triratana above. Blundered Greek legend. Rev Camel standing right. Kharoshthi legend ''Maharayasa Rayatirayasa Kuyula Kara Kapasa''. File:Kujula seated cross legged facing.jpg, Coin of Kujula Kadphises.
Obv Kujula seated cross legged facing, Kharoshti legend: ''Kuyula Kadaphasa Kushanasa''.
Rev Zeus on the reverse, Greek legend: ΚΟΖΟΛΑ XOPANOY ZAOOY. File:Kujula Kadphises Helmeted.jpg, Kujula Kadphises coin. Obv Helmeted soldier head right. Rev Warrior standing right, holding shield and spear.

References

Bibliography

* "Catalogue of coins in the Panjab Museum, Lahore. Vol. I Indo-Greek coins", Whitehead, Argonaut Inc. Publishers, Chicago. * * Hill, John E. 2004. ''The Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu.'' Draft annotated English translatio

* *

External links

Catalogue of coins of Kujula Kadphises
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadphises, Kujula Kushan emperors 80 deaths 1st-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown