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Indo Greek Kingdom in
India
Diomedes - King, circa 115-105 B.C.
Bronze 20mm (5.62 grams) Uncertain mint in the Paropamisadai or western
Gandhara
Reference: HGC 12, 286 (R1); Bopearachchi Serie 10
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΣΩTHPOΣ /
ΔΙΟΜΗΔΟΥ, Dioscuri standing facing, holding spears.
(Maharajasa tratarasa Diyumetasa [of Great King Diomedes the Savior]), Bull
standing right; monogram below.
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Gemini
is one of the
constellations
of the
zodiac
. It was one of the 48 constellations
described by the 2nd century AD astronomer
Ptolemy
and it remains one of the 88 modern
constellations today. Its name is
Latin
for "twins,"
and it is associated with the twins
Castor and Pollux
in
Greek mythology
. Its symbol is
(Unicode ♊).
In
Greek
and
Roman mythology
,
Pollux and Castor or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the
Dioskouri. Their mother was
Leda
, but Castor was the mortal son of
Tyndareus
, the king of Sparta, and Pollux the
divine son of Zeus
, who seduced Leda in the guise of a swan.
Though accounts of their birth are varied, they are sometimes said to have been
born from an egg, along with their twin sisters
Helen of Troy
and
Clytemnestra
.
In Latin the twins are also known as the Gemini or Castores.
When Castor was killed, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality
with his twin to keep them together, and they were transformed into the
constellation
Gemini
. The pair were regarded as the patrons
of sailors, to whom they appeared as
St. Elmo's fire
, and were also associated with
horsemanship.
They are sometimes called the Tyndaridae or Tyndarids, later
seen as a reference to their father and stepfather
Tyndareus
.
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Diomedes Soter (Greek:
Διομήδης ὁ Σωτήρ;
epithet
means "the Saviour") was an
Indo-Greek
king. The places where his coins
have been found seem to indicate that his rule was based in the area of the
Paropamisadae
, possibly with temporary
dominions further east. Judging from their similar portraits and many
overlapping monograms, the young Diomedes seems to have been the heir (and
probably a relative) of
Philoxenus
, the last king to rule before the
kingdom of Menander I
finally fragmented.
Time of reign
Bopearachchi
dates Diomedes to c. 95–90 BCE and
R. C. Senior dates him to c. 115–105 BCE.
Coins of Diomedes
Diomedes depicted the
Dioscurion
his coins, either on horseback or
standing; both types were previously used by
Eucratides I
. It is however uncertain how the
two were related, since Eucratides I died long before Diomedes.
Diomedes minted both Attic-type coins (Greco-Bactrian
style, with Greek legend only), and bilingual coins (with Greek and
Kharoshthi
), indicating that he was ruling in
the western part of the Indo-Greek territory.
One overstrike is known, of a coin of
Strato
and
Agathokleia
over a coin of Diomedes. This
overstrike could indicate that Diomedes fought over the central areas of the
Indo-Greek territories with Strato and Agathokleia.
See also
-
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
-
Seleucid Empire
-
Greco-Buddhism
-
Indo-Scythians
-
Indo-Parthian Kingdom
-
Kushan Empire
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