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

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

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

Indo-Scythian The Indo-Scythians, also known as Indo-Sakas, were a group of nomadic people of Iranian peoples, Iranic Scythians, Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into the present-day regions of Afghanistan, Eastern Iran and the northwe ...

king, "King Azes the Great" or Azes I. 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. Earlier, some scholars believed that the Azes era was same as the Vikrama Samvat (57 BCE) used in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

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

Vijayamitra Vijayamitra was an Apracharajas, Apracharaja who ruled in Gandhara, with his capital in Bajaur. He succeeded the previous Apracharaja, Visnuvarma, in 3 BCE with a reign lasting til 32 CE. Rukhana reliquary Vijayamitra is mentioned in a recently ...

, 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 centered in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe ...

, year 1 of Azes corresponding exactly to year 201 of the Arsacid era. The Azes era was recently connected to the Yavana era 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 - 2 ...

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 Ancient India Chronology