Refs: BMC India p. 66, 1-2; Sear 7739; Forrer 53; SNG ANS 1319-25; MIG (Mitchiner) 408b; Bopearachchi 2B. (Cited from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/indo-greek-hermaios-and-calliope.354760/)
Comments
Hermaios was the last Greek king to rule in Gandhara and the Kabul valley (now in Pakistan). Apart from coins in his own name, Hermaios also issued coins with a queen named Calliope. Why he did so is not clear. Perhaps Hermaios himself was not of royal parentage, while Calliope was. He may have then felt the need to feature her portrait on his early coins as a way to legitimize his rule. Only two coin types were issued in this joint format, a drachm like mine and a silver tetradrachm, both with the same inscriptions and devices. In the early part of his reign, when his wife shared the throne, he pursued an aggressive foreign policy and re-conquered some territories which his predecessors had lost. However, his success was short-lived and eventually, Hermaios was defeated by the Kushan ruler Kujula Kadphises, ending more than three centuries of Greek rule in the area
Description
Hermaios and Calliope, 90-70 BC. Indo-Greek AR drachm, 17 mm, 2.33 gm. Obv: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΕΡΜΑΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΛΛΙΟΠΗΣ, jugate busts, right. Rev: Kharoshthi legend: maharajasa tratarasa heramayasa / kaliyapaya, king on prancing horse, right; monogram below.
Exquisite
Refs: BMC India p. 66, 1-2; Sear 7739; Forrer 53; SNG ANS 1319-25; MIG (Mitchiner) 408b; Bopearachchi 2B. (Cited from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/indo-greek-hermaios-and-calliope.354760/)
Comments
Hermaios was the last Greek king to rule in Gandhara and the Kabul valley (now in Pakistan). Apart from coins in his own name, Hermaios also issued coins with a queen named Calliope. Why he did so is not clear. Perhaps Hermaios himself was not of royal parentage, while Calliope was. He may have then felt the need to feature her portrait on his early coins as a way to legitimize his rule. Only two coin types were issued in this joint format, a drachm like mine and a silver tetradrachm, both with the same inscriptions and devices. In the early part of his reign, when his wife shared the throne, he pursued an aggressive foreign policy and re-conquered some territories which his predecessors had lost. However, his success was short-lived and eventually, Hermaios was defeated by the Kushan ruler Kujula Kadphises, ending more than three centuries of Greek rule in the area