Coin of Eukratides I (170–145 BCE): Art, History and Details

Coin of Eukratides I (170–145 BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Eukratides, a successor of Alexander in Bactria, wears a helmet with bull's ear and horn, like military leaders from Macedon, Alexander's homeland in the north of Greece. On the reverse Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus, ride horseback. Because Alexander also was considered to be an offspring of Zeus, Eukratides referenced his link to Alexander by including Castor and Pollux on his coin.

Object facts

• Title: Coin of Eukratides I
• Date: 170–145 BCE
• Culture: Afghanistan, Bactria
• Type: Silver
• Technique: silver
• Dimensions: Diameter: 3.3 x 0.5 cm (1 5/16 x 3/16 in.)
• Collection: Southeast Asian
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 2011.211.a

Collection credit

Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.