Apollophanes

This article is about the king. For the philosopher, see Apollophanes of Antioch. For the spider genus, see Philodromidae.

Apollophanes
Indo-Greek king
Silver drachm of king Apollophanes (r. 35-25 BCE). Obv: Helmeted bust of king. Greek legend: BASILEOS SOTEROS APOLLOPHANOU "Of Saviour King Apollophanes". Rev: Pallas with aegis and thunderbolt. Kharoshthi legend: MAHARAJASA TRATARASA APALAVINASA "Saviour king Apollophanes".
Reign	35–25 BCE

Apollophanes Soter (Greek: Ἀπολλοφάνης ὁ Σωτήρ; epithet means "the Saviour"; reigned c. 35 – 25 BCE) was an Indo-Greek king in the area of eastern and central Punjab in modern India and Pakistan.

Rule

Little is known about him, except for some of his remaining coins. The dating is Osmund Bopearachchi's, but R. C. Senior suggests approximately the same dates. Earlier scholars, such as Professor Ahmed Hasan Dani, W.W. Tarn and A.K. Narain dated Apollophanes considerably earlier, but the style and finding places of his coins make it clear that he belonged to the last line of eastern Indo-Greek kings, not long before they were overcome completely by pressure from the Indo-Scythians.

He may have been a relative of Apollodotus II Soter since both kings share the epithet Soter (Saviour), have names related to Apollo and use Pallas Athene as their reverse.

Coins of Apollophanes

Apollophanes issued a few debased silver drachms of the type seen above, struck with a single monogram and of little artistic quality. He seems to have been an insignificant local ruler. Apollophanes wears what appears to be a Macedonian helmet of the type seen on the Alexander Mosaic which he was the last Indo-Greek ruler to use.

Preceded by: Zoilos II

Indo-Greek Ruler (Eastern Punjab) 35–25 BCE

Succeeded by: Strato II and III

INDO-GREEK KINGS AND THEIR TERRITORIES Based on Bopearachchi (1991)
Territories/ Dates	PAROPAMISADE	ARACHOSIA	GANDHARA	WESTERN PUNJAB	EASTERN PUNJAB
200–190 BC	Demetrius I
190–180 BC	Agathocles	Pantaleon
185–170 BC	Antimachus I
180–160 BC	Apollodotus I
175–170 BC	Demetrius II
170–145 BC	Eucratides
160–155 BC	Antimachus II
155–130 BC	Menander I
130–120 BC	Zoilos I		Agathokleia
120–110 BC	Lysias		Strato I
110–100 BC	Antialcidas		Heliokles II
100 BC	Polyxenos		Demetrius III
100–95 BC	Philoxenus
95–90 BC	Diomedes	Amyntas		Epander
90 BC	Theophilos	Peukolaos		Thraso
90–85 BC	Nicias	Menander II		Artemidoros
90–70 BC	Hermaeus	Archebios
	Yuezhi tribes		Maues (Indo-Scythian)
75–70 BC			Telephos	Apollodotus II
65–55 BC				Hippostratos	Dionysios
55–35 BC				Azes I (Indo-Scythian)	Zoilos II
55–35 BC					Apollophanes
25 BC – 10 AD					Strato II & III
					Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian)

See also

• Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
• Seleucid Empire
• Greco-Buddhism
• Indo-Scythians
• Indo-Parthian Kingdom
• Kushan Empire

References

• "The Greeks in Bactria and India", W.W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.
• "The Bactrian and Indus Greeks", Prof. Ahmed Hasan Dani, Lahore Museum
• "The Indo-Greeks - Revisited and Supplemented", Dr. A.K. Narain, BR Publishing Corporation
• "Monnaies Gréco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques", Osmund Bopearachchi, Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Apollophanes the dramatist

Apollophanes was also the name of an Athenian writer of comedies who flourished in the 4th century BCE.