Theodamas
Encyclopedia
Theodamas seems to have been an Indo-Greek ruler in the Bajaur
area of Gandhara
, in modern Pakistan
.
No coins of him are known, but he has left a signet bearing his name in kharoshthi script, which was found in the region of Bajaur.
The inscription on the Seal is "Su Theodamasa", Su being explained as the ubiquitous Kushan royal title Shau ("Shah
", "King"), a title which also appeared in its Greek version in the 1st century posthumous issues of the coins of Hermaeus minted by Kujula Kadphises
. On these coins the obverse in Greek is Βασιλεος Στιρος Συ Ερμαιοι—Basileos Stiros Su Ermaioi, "Saviour King, Shah Hermaeus", which is translated on the reverse in Kharoshthi as Maharajasa Rajarajasa Mahatasa Heramayasa, "The Great King, the King of Kings, the Great Hermaeus".
Although after 50 BCE Indo-Greek rulers were replaced by the Indo-Scythians
and then the Indo-Parthians, Greek culture was maintained to some extent (as indicated by the Greek-style coin types adopted by the conquerors, and the development of Greco-Buddhist art
).
It seems some Greek communities and cities also maintained some level of independence (although they didn't have the right to issue coinage), and Theodamas may have been one of their local rulers.
Bajaur
Bajaur or Bajur or Bajour is an Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Smallest of the agencies in FATA, it has a hilly terrain. According to the 1998 census, the population was 595,227 but other more recent estimates it has grown to 757,000...
area of Gandhara
Gandhara
Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
, in modern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
No coins of him are known, but he has left a signet bearing his name in kharoshthi script, which was found in the region of Bajaur.
The inscription on the Seal is "Su Theodamasa", Su being explained as the ubiquitous Kushan royal title Shau ("Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
", "King"), a title which also appeared in its Greek version in the 1st century posthumous issues of the coins of Hermaeus minted by Kujula Kadphises
Kujula Kadphises
Kujula Kadphises, reigned was a Kushan prince who united the Yuezhi confederation during the 1st century CE, and became the first Kushan emperor...
. On these coins the obverse in Greek is Βασιλεος Στιρος Συ Ερμαιοι—Basileos Stiros Su Ermaioi, "Saviour King, Shah Hermaeus", which is translated on the reverse in Kharoshthi as Maharajasa Rajarajasa Mahatasa Heramayasa, "The Great King, the King of Kings, the Great Hermaeus".
Although after 50 BCE Indo-Greek rulers were replaced by the Indo-Scythians
Indo-Scythians
Indo-Scythians is a term used to refer to Sakas , who migrated into Bactria, Sogdiana, Arachosia, Gandhara, Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE....
and then the Indo-Parthians, Greek culture was maintained to some extent (as indicated by the Greek-style coin types adopted by the conquerors, and the development of Greco-Buddhist art
Greco-Buddhist art
Greco-Buddhist art is the artistic manifestation of Greco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism between the Classical Greek culture and Buddhism, which developed over a period of close to 1000 years in Central Asia, between the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE, and the Islamic...
).
It seems some Greek communities and cities also maintained some level of independence (although they didn't have the right to issue coinage), and Theodamas may have been one of their local rulers.
See also
- Greco-Bactrian KingdomGreco-Bactrian KingdomThe Greco-Bactrian Kingdom was the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world, covering Bactria and Sogdiana in Central Asia from 250 to 125 BC...
- Seleucid EmpireSeleucid EmpireThe Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
- Greco-BuddhismGreco-BuddhismGreco-Buddhism, sometimes spelled Graeco-Buddhism, refers to the cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed between the 4th century BCE and the 5th century CE in the area covered by the Indian sub-continent, and modern Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western...
- Indo-ScythiansIndo-ScythiansIndo-Scythians is a term used to refer to Sakas , who migrated into Bactria, Sogdiana, Arachosia, Gandhara, Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE....
- Indo-Parthian KingdomIndo-Parthian KingdomThe Gondopharid dynasty, and other so-called Indo-Parthian rulers, were a group of ancient kings from present day eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan who ruled India, during or slightly before the 1st century AD...
- Kushan EmpireKushan EmpireThe Kushan Empire originally formed in the early 1st century AD under Kujula Kadphises in the territories of ancient Bactria on either side of the middle course of the Oxus in what is now northern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and southern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.During the 1st and early 2nd centuries...
External links
| Preceded by: Artemidoros Artemidoros Artemidoros Aniketos was a king who ruled in the area of Gandhara and Pushkalavati in modern northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.-A son of Maues:Artemidoros has a Greek name and has traditionally been seen as an Indo-Greek king... ... |
Indo-Greek Ruler (1st century) |
Succeeded by: ... |