Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 124 23 Jun 2021
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Maues, with Queen Machene, circa 125 – 85.
Tetradrachm, Taxila Sirkap circa 125-85, AR 8.91 g. BACIΛICCHC ΘEOTPOΠOY MAXHNHC Tyche, wearing mural crown, enthroned r., feet on footstool, holding torque in extended r. hand and long sceptre in l. Rev. Rajatirajasa mahatasa Moasa in Kharosthi characters Zeus, draped, standing l., holding Nike, who holds wreath and palm in extended r. hand and sceptre on l. arm; in inner l. field, monogram. Senior 4.1T. MIG Type 736a. G. Le Rider, "Monnaies de Taxila et d'Arachosie: une nouvelle reine de Taxila," Revue des Études Grecques 80 (1967), 3 (these dies). R. Senior, Encyclopaedia Iranica pl. I, no. 5 (this coin).
Of the highest rarity, only the second specimen known and the only one in private
hands. Struck on a very broad flan, minor marks, otherwise good very fine
Ex Triton sale XIV, 2011, 442.
Like all Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian coins, this extremely rare tetradrachm names the issuing authority on the obverse in Greek script and on the reverse in Prakrit rendered in Kharoshthi script. However, while on most such coins the Kharoshthi legend is usually a translation of the Greek, here the legends refer to two different individuals. The Greek legend names a Queen Mechane Theotropos while the Kharoshthi legend names Great King of Kings Maues. Maues is widely believed to have been a Scythian (Saka) leader who conquered and settled in parts of Gandhara after his people were driven out of Central Asia by the movements of the Yeuzhi in the late second century BC. Unfortunately, nothing is known about Maues beyond that he established a dating era that continued in use in Ghandara into the first century BC and that he struck coins with monograms shared with the Indo-Greek kings Apollodotos II and Zoilos II. Overstriking of Maues types on those of Apollodotos II has led to the claim that the two rulers may have been rivals. Even less is known about Mechane. She is only mentioned on these tetradrachms and most scholars assume her to have been either the wife of mother of Maues. The latter interpretation is perhaps most plausible in light of her epithet which identifies her as the "Nurse of the God." In this case, the god in question would be Maues himself. In this case the coinage would seem to imply a coregency of mother and son like that of the Indo-Greek rulers Agathokleia and Straton I (c. 105-85 BC?). Indeed, the epithet of Agathokleia was also Theotropos. If Mechane ruled alongside her son as coregent it would tend to imply that Maues was too young to rule on his own at the time this tetradrachm was struck, but later reigned in his own right without Mechane (as shown by the coinage). Such a scenario, which seems the most reasonable in light of the numismatic evidence, becomes problematic for the established historical reconstruction in which Maues is assumed to enter Ghandara as an adult Scythian leader. This tetradrachm is an important coin, not only for the wrench that it throws into the historical understanding of the earliest of the Indo-Scythian kings, but for its types, which exerted an influence on the coinages of both his Indo-Scythian successors and their Indo-Greek contemporaries. Both the standing Zeus and the seated goddess types occurred on coins of the Indo-Greek kings Amyntas and Peukolaos (c. 80-65 BC?) while the standing Zeus type continued on coins of the Indo-Scythian kings Azilises (c. 85-45 BC?) and Azes (c. 58-12 BC?).
Tetradrachm, Taxila Sirkap circa 125-85, AR 8.91 g. BACIΛICCHC ΘEOTPOΠOY MAXHNHC Tyche, wearing mural crown, enthroned r., feet on footstool, holding torque in extended r. hand and long sceptre in l. Rev. Rajatirajasa mahatasa Moasa in Kharosthi characters Zeus, draped, standing l., holding Nike, who holds wreath and palm in extended r. hand and sceptre on l. arm; in inner l. field, monogram. Senior 4.1T. MIG Type 736a. G. Le Rider, "Monnaies de Taxila et d'Arachosie: une nouvelle reine de Taxila," Revue des Études Grecques 80 (1967), 3 (these dies). R. Senior, Encyclopaedia Iranica pl. I, no. 5 (this coin).
Of the highest rarity, only the second specimen known and the only one in private
hands. Struck on a very broad flan, minor marks, otherwise good very fine
Ex Triton sale XIV, 2011, 442.
Like all Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian coins, this extremely rare tetradrachm names the issuing authority on the obverse in Greek script and on the reverse in Prakrit rendered in Kharoshthi script. However, while on most such coins the Kharoshthi legend is usually a translation of the Greek, here the legends refer to two different individuals. The Greek legend names a Queen Mechane Theotropos while the Kharoshthi legend names Great King of Kings Maues. Maues is widely believed to have been a Scythian (Saka) leader who conquered and settled in parts of Gandhara after his people were driven out of Central Asia by the movements of the Yeuzhi in the late second century BC. Unfortunately, nothing is known about Maues beyond that he established a dating era that continued in use in Ghandara into the first century BC and that he struck coins with monograms shared with the Indo-Greek kings Apollodotos II and Zoilos II. Overstriking of Maues types on those of Apollodotos II has led to the claim that the two rulers may have been rivals. Even less is known about Mechane. She is only mentioned on these tetradrachms and most scholars assume her to have been either the wife of mother of Maues. The latter interpretation is perhaps most plausible in light of her epithet which identifies her as the "Nurse of the God." In this case, the god in question would be Maues himself. In this case the coinage would seem to imply a coregency of mother and son like that of the Indo-Greek rulers Agathokleia and Straton I (c. 105-85 BC?). Indeed, the epithet of Agathokleia was also Theotropos. If Mechane ruled alongside her son as coregent it would tend to imply that Maues was too young to rule on his own at the time this tetradrachm was struck, but later reigned in his own right without Mechane (as shown by the coinage). Such a scenario, which seems the most reasonable in light of the numismatic evidence, becomes problematic for the established historical reconstruction in which Maues is assumed to enter Ghandara as an adult Scythian leader. This tetradrachm is an important coin, not only for the wrench that it throws into the historical understanding of the earliest of the Indo-Scythian kings, but for its types, which exerted an influence on the coinages of both his Indo-Scythian successors and their Indo-Greek contemporaries. Both the standing Zeus and the seated goddess types occurred on coins of the Indo-Greek kings Amyntas and Peukolaos (c. 80-65 BC?) while the standing Zeus type continued on coins of the Indo-Scythian kings Azilises (c. 85-45 BC?) and Azes (c. 58-12 BC?).