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AzesI.jpg|thumb|350px|Coin of Azes I (57-35 BCE).
Obv: Azes I in military dress, on a horse, with couched spear. Greek legend: BASILEOS BASILEON MEGALOU AZOU "of the Great King of Kings Azes".
Rev: Zeus with long scepter and thunderbolt. Kharoshti legend: MAHARAJASA RAJARAJASA MAHATASA AYASA "of the Great King of Kings Azes".]]
Azes I (57-35 BCE) was an Indo-Scythian ruler who completed the domination of the Scythians in northern India.
History
Although Maues and his successors had conquered the areas of Gandhara, as well as the area of Mathura from 85 BCE, they were unsuccessful against the Indo-Greek kings remaining behind the Jhelum River in eastern Punjab.
The Indo-Greek Hippostratos (65-55 BCE) finally lost to Azes I after a long resistance. Some coins of Azes I depict the god Poseidon vanquishing a horned river god, suggesting a naval victory over a river, probably the Jhelum.
The Azes Era
Azes's most lasting legacy was the foundation of the Azes era. It was widely believed that the era was begun by Azes's successors by simply continuing the counting of his regnal years. However, Prof. Harry Falk has recently presented an inscription at several conferences which dates to Azes's reign, and suggests that the era may have been begun by Azes himself. Most popular historians date the start of the Azes era to 58 BC and believe it is the same as the later era known as the Malwa or Vikrama era. However, a recently discovered inscription dated in both the Azes and the Greek era suggests that actually this is not the case. The inscription gives the relationship Azes = Greek + 128. It is believed that the Greek era may have begun in 173 BC, exactly 300 years before the first year of the Era of Kanishka. If that is the case then the Azes era would begin in about 45 BC.
Other coins
| Preceded by: Indo-Scythian king Spalirises (In Arachosia and Gandhara) Indo-Greek king: Telephos (In the western Punjab) Indo-Greek king: Hippostratos | Indo-Scythian Ruler (57-35 BCE) | Succeeded by: Azilises |
See also
External links
References
- "The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies" by Thomas McEvilley (Allworth Press and the School of Visual Arts, 2002) ISBN 1581152035
- "The Greeks in Bactria and India", W.W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.
"Azes I"