Pantaleon

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Pantaleon
Portrait of Pantaleon.
Indo-Greek king
Reign190–180 BC
PredecessorDemetrius I
SuccessorAgathocles
Died180 BCE
HouseEuthydemid
FatherEuthydemus I
King Pantaleon in profile, with Zeus on the reverse.
Agathocles commemorative coin for Pantaleon, represented on the obverse.
Cupro-nickel coin of king Pantaleon.
Obv: Bust of Dionysos with a wreath of leaves.
Rev: Panther with a small bell around the neck, touching a vine with the left leg. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΑΝΤΑΛΕΟΝΤΟΣ "Of King Pantaleon".

Pantaleon (Greek: Πανταλέων) was a Greek king who reigned some time between 190–180 BC in Bactria and India. He was a younger contemporary or successor of the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius, and is sometimes believed to have been his brother and/or subking.

The scarcity of his coinage indicates a short reign. Known evidence suggests that he was replaced by his (probable) brother or son Agathocles, by whom he was commemorated on a "pedigree" coin.

Copper-Nickel coinage

Some of his coins (as well as those of Agathocles and Euthydemus II) have another surprising characteristic: they are made of copper-nickel alloy, a technology that would not be developed in the West until the 18th century, but was known by the Chinese at the time. This suggests that exchanges of the metallic alloy or technicians happened between China and the region of Bactria.

Bilingual Indian-standard coinage

He was the first Greek king to strike Indian coins, peculiar irregular bronzes representing a lion with a dancing Indian woman, probably the goddess Lakshmi (a type also known in the Post-Mauryan coinage of Gandhara), which suggests he had his base in Arachosia and Gandhara and wanted support from the native population.

External links

Preceded by Indo-Greek Ruler
(Arachosia, Gandhara)

190–185 BCE
Succeeded by