| HermaeusSoter "the Saviour" | |
|---|---|
 Profile of Hermaeus. | |
| Indo-Greek king | |
| Reign | 90–70 BCE |
| Consort | Kalliope |
Hermaeus Soter (Ancient Greek:Ἑρμαῖος ὁ Σωτήρ,Hermaîos ho Sōtḗr, meaning "Hermaeus the Saviour") was a WesternIndo-Greek king of the Eucratid dynasty, who ruled the territory ofParopamisadae in theHindu-Kush region, with his capital inAlexandria of the Caucasus (near today'sKabul,Afghanistan). Bopearachchi dates Hermaeus toc. 90–70 BCE and R. C. Senior toc. 95–80 BCE.
Hermaeus' name means "devoted toHermes",[2] and he seems to have been the successor ofPhiloxenus orDiomedes, and his wifeKalliope (Greek:Καλλιόπη) may have been a daughter of Philoxenus, according to Senior. Judging from his coins, Hermaeus' rule was long and prosperous, but came to an end when theYuezhi, coming from neighbouringBactria, overran most of his Greek kingdom in the Paropamisade around 70 BCE. According to Bopearachchi, these nomads were theYuezhi, the ancestors of the Kushans, whereas Senior considers themSakas.
Kushan rulerKujula Kadphises associated himself to Hermaeus on his coins,[3] either in attempt to solidify legitimacy or due to the difficulties minting early coins. In any case, the Yuezhi-Kushans preserved a close cultural interaction with the Greeks as late as the 3rd century CE.
Given the importance of Hermaeus to the nomad rulers, it is possible that Hermaeus himself was partially of nomad origin.[4]
Hermaeus issued Indian silver coins of three types. The first type has a diademed or sometimes helmeted portrait, with reverse of sitting Zeus making benediction gesture. Hermaeus also issued a rare series of Attic silver tetradrachms of this type, which were issued for export to Bactria.
The second type was a joint series of Hermaeus with his queenKalliope. The reverse departs from the traditional Hermaeus format, in that it shows the king on a prancing horse. The "king on a prancing horse" is characteristic of the contemporary Greek kings in the eastern Punjab such asHippostratos, and it has been suggested that the coin represented a marital alliance between the two dynastic lines. The horseman on Hermaeus' version is however portrayed somewhat different, being equipped with a typical Scythian longbow.
The third series combined the reverses of the first series, without portrait.
Hermaeus also issued bronze coins with the head ofZeus-Mithras and a prancing horse on the reverse.
A Chinese historical record from theHanshu Chap. 96A could possible be related to Hermaeus, even though this is very speculative and the record more likely refers to later Saka kings. The chronicle tells how a king who may possibly be identified as Hermaeus received the support of the Chinese againstIndo-Scythian occupants, and may explain why his kingdom was suddenly so prosperous despite the general decline of the Indo-Greeks during the period. The Chinese records would put Hermaeus's dates later, with his reign ending around 40 BCE.
According to theHanshu, Chap. 96A, Wutoulao (Spalirises?), king of Jibin (Kophen, upperKabul Valley), killed some Chinese envoys. After the death of the king, his son (Spaladagames) sent an envoy to China with gifts. The Chinese general Wen Zhong, commander of the border area in westernGansu, accompanied the escort back. Wutoulao's son plotted to kill Wen Zhong. When Wen Zhong discovered the plot, he allied himself with Yinmofu (Hermaeus?), "son of the king of Rongqu" (Yonaka, the Greeks). They attacked Jibin (possibly with the support of theYuezhi, themselves allies of the Chinese since around 100 BCE according to the Hanshu) and killed Wutoulao's son. Yinmofu (Hermaeus?) was then installed as king of Jibin, as a vassal of the Chinese Empire, and receiving the Chinese seal and ribbon of investiture.
Later Yinmofu (Hermaeus?) himself is recorded to have killed Chinese envoys in the reign ofEmperor Yuandi (48–33 BCE), then sent envoys to apologize to the Chinese court, but he was disregarded. During the reign ofEmperor Chengdi (51–7 BCE) other envoys were sent, but they were rejected as simple traders.
These events may have initiated an alliance between the Greeks and the Yuezhi (even possibly a dynastic alliance), explaining why the Yuezhi gained pre-eminence after the reign of Hermaeus. However the Yuezhi invaders imitated Hermaeus' coinage style possibly after taking over his kingdom, thereby depicting themselves as his successors. The early Kushan rulerHeraios even imitated Hermaeus' name on his coins but misspelled it by leaving out the letter 'M'.[citation needed] Therefore the name Heraios is a corrupted version of Hermaios. The first true Kushan emperorKujula Kadphises associated himself with Hermaeus on his coins, but it is also possible that this ruler was identical to the aforementioned Heraios.[citation needed]
| Preceded by | Indo-Greek Ruler (inParopamisade) 90 – 70 BC | Succeeded by |