| Antialcidas Nikephoros "Victorious" | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Antialcidas | |
| Indo-Greek king | |
| Reign | 130–120 BCE (R. C. Senior) 115–95 BCE (Boppearachchi) |
Antialcidas Nikephoros (Ancient Greek:Ἀντιαλκίδας ὁ Νικηφόρος;epithet means "the Bearer of Victory" or "the Victorious",Brahmi:𑀅𑀁𑀢𑀮𑀺𑀓𑀺𑀢𑀲Aṃtalikitasa, in theHeliodorus Pillar) was a king of theIndo-Greek Kingdom, who reigned from his capital atTaxila.Bopearachchi has suggested that he ruled from ca. 115 to 95 BCE in the western parts of the Indo-Greek realms, whereas R. C. Senior places him around 130 to 120 BCE and also in easternPunjab (which seems better supported by coin findings). Senior does however believe that he ruled in tandem withKing Lysias.
Antialcidas may have been a relative of theGreco-Bactrian kingHeliocles I, but ruled after the fall of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom. Several later kings may have been related to Antialcidas:Heliokles II,Amyntas,Diomedes andHermaeus all struck coins with similar features.
Though there are few sources for the late Indo-Greek history, Antialcidas is known from an inscription left on a pillar (theHeliodorus pillar), which was erected by his ambassador Heliodorus at the court of theShunga kingBhagabhadra atVidisha, nearSanchi. It states that he was a devotee of Vishnu, the Hindu god.[2]
A part of the inscription says:
Otherwise, Antialcidas is also known through his plentiful coins. He issued a number of bilingual Indian silver types: diademed, wearing a helmet with bull's horns or a flat kausia. He also appears throwing a spear. According to some interpretations (Grousset), the baby elephant may symbolize the BuddhaSiddhartha Gautama, who took the shape of a small elephant to enter the womb of his motherQueen Maya, a scene often depicted inGreco-Buddhist art. In that case the coin scene would represent a victory of Buddhism. According to other interpretations the elephant was the symbol of the city ofTaxila.
There is a bronze which features the obverse ofLysias and the reverse of Antialcidas. This was interpreted by Tarn and other earlier scholars as though the two kings might have forged some kind of alliance, but later, a bronze with the opposite arrangement was found.
Modern scholarship has however largely accepted that what was originally supposed to be a "joint issue" was in fact amule; in other words, a mistake occurred in the process of overstriking the original coin, and it was accidentally issued with both king's standards.
| Preceded by | Indo-Greek king (inParopamisadae,Arachosia,Gandhara) 115 – 95 BC | Succeeded by |