| Antimachus I | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Antimachus I. | |
| Greco-Bactrian king | |
| Reign | 171–160 BCE |
| Predecessor | Euthydemus II |
| Successor | Antimachus II |
Antimachus I Theos (Ancient Greek:Ἀντίμαχος ὁ Θεός,Antímachos ho Theós, meaning "Antimachus the God"), known asAntimakha in Indian sources, was one of theGreco-Bactrian kings, generally dated from around 185 BC to 170 BC.
William Woodthorpe Tarn and numismatist Robert Senior place Antimachus as a member of the Euthydemid dynasty and probably as a son ofEuthydemus and brother ofDemetrius. Other historians, likeA.K. Narain, mark him as independent of Euthydemid authority, and probably a scion of some relation to the Diodotid dynasty. He was king of an area covering parts ofBactria and probably alsoArachosia in southern Afghanistan (see "Coins of Antimachus I," below). Antimachus I was either defeated during his resistance to the usurperEucratides, or his main territory was absorbed by the latter upon his death.
A unique tax receipt written on skin has been discovered from Bactria and apparently adds to the argument against direct Euthydemid familial connections. The document states:
βασιλευόντων θεοῦ Ἀντιμάχου καὶ Εὐμένους καὶ Ἀντιμάχου ... ἔτους δʼ, μηνὸς Ὀλώιου, ἐν Ἀσαγγώρνοις, νομοφυλακοῦντος... ἔχει Μηνόδοτος λογευτής, συμπαρόντων... τοῦ συναπεσταλμένου ὑπὸ Δημώνακτος ... τοῦ γενομένου... καὶ Σίμου τοῦ διὰ Διοδώρου τοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν προσόδων... τοῦ Δατάου ἐξ ἱερείων τρα-... τῇ ὠνῇ τὰ καθήκοντα.
"In the reign of Antimachos Theos and Eumenes andAntimachos... the fourth year, month of Olous, in Asangorna, the guardian of the law being... The tax collector Menodotus, in the presence of... who was also sent out by Demonax, the former..., and of Simus who was... by the agency of Diodorus, controller of revenues, acknowledges receipt from... the son of Dataes from the priests... the dues relating to the purchase..."[1]
That Antimachus would list his own associate kings argues strongly against the suggestion that he was appointed as a Northern associate ruler of Euthydemus and Demetrius, an idea that anyway is more or less unprecedented among Hellenistic kings. Eumenes and Antimachus could be his heirs; it was standard forPtolemaic andSeleucid kings to include their sons as joint regents, with variable formal or actual power. While Eumenes never issued any coins, a king namedAntimachus II Nikephoros later appeared in India. It seems plausible that the Indian Antimachus was the son of Antimachus I, but it is unclear whether his reign in India overlapped with his father's reign in Bactria.
Another document written on skin has been found that refers to his reign, and mentions a previously unknown Bactrian city named Amphipolis, presumably named after the famousancient polis in today'sregion of Macedonia in Northern Greece. This document was found nearBactra in Northern Afghanistan and reads:[2]
"Βασιλεύοντος Ἀντιμάχου ἔτους τριακοστοῦ [μηνὸς - - ] ... ἐν Ἀμφιπόλει τῇ πρὸς τῇ Κ ἀρελοτηι εἰσηγεῖτα[ι - - τῶν] ... ξένων μαν ηερχολλ μηνον ... τῶν τεσσαρά[κοντα - - - ] ... Σκυθῶν ἀργυρίου ἐπισήμου δραχμῶν ἑκατὸν ... μενοῦ πλήθους τοῦ ἀργυρίου [ - - - ] ...."
"In the reign of Antimachos in the year 30 [month + day] ... in Amphipolis near K[]arelote has introduced ... of the... mercenaries (?) [to] ... of the for[ty ...] Scythians, of one hundred drachmas of coined silver ... of [the above mentioned (?)] sum of money ...."
Antimachus I issued numerous silver coins on the Attic standard, with his own image in a flat Macedoniankausia hat, and on the reversePoseidon with his trident. Poseidon was the god of the ocean and great rivers - some scholars have here seen a reference to the provinces around the Indus River, where Antimachus I may have been a governor - but he was also the protector of horses, which was perhaps a more important function in landlocked Bactria.
On his coinage, Antimachus called himselfTheos, "The God", a first in the Hellenistic world. Just like his colleagueAgathocles, he issued commemorative coinage, in his case silver tetradrachms honouring Euthydemus I, also called "The God", and Diodotus I, called "The Saviour". This indicates that Antimachus I might have been instrumental in creating a royal state cult.[3]
Antimachus I also issued round bronzes depicting an elephant on the obverse, with a reverse showing the Greek goddess of victoryNike holding out a wreath. The elephant could be a Buddhist symbol. These coins are reminiscent of those ofDemetrius I, as well asApollodotus I.
Other bronzes, square and rather crude, also portray a walking elephant, but with a reverse of a thunderbolt. These have been attributed by Bopearachchi (as well as older scholars) to Arachosia. They are Indian in their design, but the legend is only in Greek.
Media related toAntimachus I at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by | Greco-Bactrian King 185 – 170 BCE | Succeeded by |