Pantaleon (, ''Pantaléōn'') was a Greek king who reigned some time between 190 and 180 BC in

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian language, Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization in Central Asia based in the area south of the Oxus River (modern Amu Darya) and north of the mountains of the Hindu Kush, an area ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He was a younger contemporary or successor of the

Greco-Bactrian The Greco-Bactrian Kingdom () was a Greek state of the Hellenistic period located in Central-South Asia. The kingdom was founded by the Seleucid satrap Diodotus I Soter in about 256 BC, and continued to dominate Central Asia until its fall a ...

king

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinization of names, Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male name, male Greek given names, given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, ...

, and is sometimes believed to have been his brother and/or subking. The scarcity of his coinage indicates a short reign. Known evidence suggests that he was replaced by his (probable) brother or son

Agathocles Agathocles ( Greek: ) is a Greek name. The most famous person called Agathocles was Agathocles of Syracuse, the tyrant of Syracuse. The name is derived from and . Other people named Agathocles include: *Agathocles, a sophist, teacher of Damon ...

, by whom he was commemorated on a "pedigree" coin.

Copper-nickel coinage

Some of his coins (as well as those of Agathocles and

Euthydemus II Euthydemus II (Greek: , ''Euthýdēmos'') was a Greco-Bactrian king who ruled in Bactria in 185-180 BCE. Rule Son of Demetrius I of Bactria, Euthydemus II became king in the 180s BCE, either after his father's death or as a sub-king to him. The ...

) have another surprising characteristic: they are made of

copper-nickel Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. (Monel is a ni ...

alloy, a technology that would not be developed in the West until the 18th century (some 1,890 years later), but was known by the Chinese at the time. This suggests that exchanges of the metallic alloy or technicians happened between China and the region of Bactria.

Bilingual Indian-standard coinage

He was the first Greek king to strike Indian coins, peculiar irregular bronzes representing a lion with a dancing Indian woman, probably the goddess

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

(a type also known in the

Post-Mauryan coinage of Gandhara The Post-Mauryan coinage of Gandhara refers to the period of coinage production in Gandhara, following the breakup of the Maurya Empire (321-185 BCE). When Mauryan central power disappeared, several small independent entities were formed, which sta ...

), which suggests he had his base in

Arachosia Arachosia (; ), or Harauvatis ( ), was a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. Mainly centred around the Arghandab River, a tributary of the Helmand River, it extended as far east as the Indus River. The satrapy's Persian-language name is the et ...

and

Gandhara Gandhara () was an ancient Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan civilization in present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar valley, Peshawar (Pushkalawati) and Swat valleys extending ...

and wanted support from the native population. File:Pantaleon with Lakshmi and Lion.jpg, Indian square coin of King Pantaleon with the obverse showing a leopard. The reverse showing a dancing woman (perhaps a

Brahmi Brahmi ( ; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system from ancient India. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' or ...

legend reads: ''Rajane Patalevasa'' ("King Pantaleon"). File:Coin of King Pantaleon.jpg, Silver coin of King Pantaleon. The obverse shows the King's portrait wearing a royal diadem. The reverse shows seated

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

holding goddess

Hecate Hecate ( ; ) is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, or snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. She is variously associat ...

. Greek legend reads: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠANTAΛEONTOΣ, ''Basileōs Pantaleontos'', "Of King Pantaleon." File:Agathokles commemorative coin for Pantaleon.jpg,

' commemorative coin for Pantaleon. The obverse shows the portrait of Pantaleon, and the Greek legend: ΠΑΝΤΑΛΕΟΝΤΟΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ, ''Pantaleontos Sōtēros'', "Of Pantaleon the Saviour". The reverse shows seated Zeus holding goddess Hecate, and with Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΟΝΤΟΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ, ''Basileuontos Dikaiou Agathokleous,'' "Of Agathocles the Just, ruling as King".

References

External links

Coins of Pantaleon

{{Hellenistic rulers Indo-Greek kings 2nd-century BC monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Euthydemid dynasty