Diomedes Soter

Diomedes
Indo-Greek king
Coin of Diomedes. Obv: Helmetted king Diomedes. Greek legend: BASILEOS SOTIROS DIOMEDOY "King Diomedes, The Saviour". Rev: Dioscuri. Kharoshti translation of legend.
Reign	95 BCE - 90 BCE

Diomedes Soter "the Saviour" was an Indo-Greek king. The places where his coins have been found seem to indicate that his rule was based in the area of the Paropamisadae, possibly with temporary dominions further east. Judging from their similar portraits and many overlapping monograms, the young Diomedes seems to have been the heir (and probably a relative) of Philoxenus, the last king to rule before the kingdom of Menander I finally fragmented.

Time of reign

Bopearachchi dates Diomedes to c. 95-90 BCE and R.C. Senior dates him to c. 115-105 BCE.

Coins of Diomedes

Diomedes depicted the Dioscurion his coins, either on horseback or standing; both types were previously used by Eucratides I. It is however uncertain how the two were related, since Eucratides I died long before Diomedes.

Diomedes minted both Attic-type coins (Greco-Bactrian style, with Greek legend only), and bilingual coins (with Greek and Kharoshthi), indicating that he was ruling in the western part of the Indo-Greek territory.

One overstrike is known, of a coin of Strato and Agathokleia over a coin of Diomedes.^[1] This overstrike could indicate that Diomedes fought over the central areas of the Indo-Greek territories with Strato and Agathokleia.

Preceded by Philoxenus

Ruler of Paropamisadae (Indo-Greeks) 95-90 BCE

Succeeded by Theophilos

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

See also

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

References

1. ^ Bopearachchi, De l'Indus à l'Oxus, p. 129

• Tarn, W. W. (1984). The Greeks in Bactria and India. Chicago: Ares. ISBN 0-89005-524-6. 
• Bopearachchi, Osmund (2003) (in French). De l'Indus à l'Oxus, Archéologie de l'Asie Centrale. Lattes: Association imago-musée de Lattes. ISBN 2-9516679-2-2. 

External links

• Coins of Diomedes
• Other coins of Diomedes