Circa 4th century BCE
AR Diobol 1.03g, 11mm, 12h
Forepart of boar to right; grape bunch on stem below /
Head of roaring lion to right; grape bunch on stem below
Some time ago, I noticed a diobol with a boar and a lion and jumped to the conclusion that it must be an issue from Bessos, who killed Darius III and mounted some resistance against Alexander the Great until he was betrayed. His ears and nose were cut off, then he was shipped off to Ekbatana and “handled”.
However, after some research I learned a bit more about Baktrian local issues, and I was highly certain this was not an issue of Bessos. Since Bessos was Persian, he would have been extremely unlikely to issue what was essentially the type of Kyzikos without the tunny fish. More likely this was issued by some city in Baktria populated by immigrants from Kyzikos itself.
This is therefore a similar type of coin to the one that I randomly assigned to Alexandria Eschate. I won’t venture to guess which city this is from short of ‘somewhere in Baktria’.
Baktria becomes part of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, existing as a key eastern satrapy.
Alexander the Great invades Baktria, defeating Bessus (the satrap of Bactria who declared himself king after Darius III’s death) and taking control of the region.
Alexander marries Roxana, a Baktrian noblewoman, consolidating his control over the local elite and fortifying his hold on Baktria.
June 30
Partition of Babylon. Abydos and Adramytteion come under control of Leonnatos. Egypt with Alexandria and Gaza are under Ptolemy. Baktria comes under Seleukos I Nikator.
Diodotos I, the Seleukid satrap of Baktria, declares independence from the Seleukid Empire, establishing the Greco-Baktrian Kingdom.
Antiochos III of the Seleukid Empire campaigns in Baktria but eventually agrees to a peace with Euthydemos I, the Greco-Baktrian king, recognizing the kingdom’s independence.
Menander I succeeds in expanding Greco-Baktrian control into northwestern India, reaching the peak of Greco-Baktrian influence.
Yuezhi tribes (future Kushans) conquer Baktria, ending the Greco-Baktrian Kingdom and beginning the era of Kushan dominance in the region.