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Archebius *Dikaios Nikephoros* ("The Just and Victorious")
Archebius Dikaios Nikephoros ("The Just and Victorious")
	Portrait of Archebios on one of his tetradrachms
Indo-Greek king
Reign	90–80 BCE

Archebius Dikaios Nikephoros (Greek: Ἀρχέβιος ὁ Δίκαιος, ὁ Νικηφόρος; epithets mean respectively, "the Just", "the Victorious"; formerly read as "Archelius"^[1]^[2]) was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the area of Taxila. Osmund Bopearachchi dates him to c. 90–80 BCE, and R. C. Senior to about the same period. He was probably one of the last Indo-Greek kings before the Saka king Maues conquered Taxila, and a contemporary of Hermaeus in the west. He may have been a relative of Heliokles II, who used a similar reverse and also the title Dikaios.^{[citation needed]}

Coin types

Archebius' name means "ruler of life" deriving from ἄρχω (“to rule”) and βίος ("life”).^{[citation needed]} He issued silver with diademed or helmeted king, sometimes in spear-throwing pose. On the reverse is Zeus standing facing, holding a thunderbolt or on some issues an aegis.

Archebius also struck a rare series of Attic tetradrachms, found in Bactria.

He also issued bronzes with Nike on one side and an owl on the other.

Overstrikes

Archebius overstruck two coins of Peukolaos.

King thrusting javelin, with Zeus holding thunderbolt.
Bust of Zeus, and caps of the Dioscuri with palms.

References

^ "In the Masson collection of 1836 were found Archebius ( read at the time as 'Archelius')" in Imam, Abu (1966). Sir Alexander Cunningham and the Beginnings of Indian Archaeology. Asiatic Society of Pakistan. p. 134.
^ Prinsep, James. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol V 1836. pp. 548–549.

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 1-58115-203-5
Buddhism in Central Asia by B. N. Puri (Motilal Banarsidass Pub, January 1, 2000) ISBN 81-208-0372-8
The Greeks in Bactria and India by W. W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.

External links

Preceded by Menander II as ruler in Arachosia and Gandhara	Indo-Greek ruler in Arachosia, Gandhara and Punjab 90–80 BCE	Succeeded by Maues as Indo-Scythian king
Preceded by Artemidoros as ruler in Punjab