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Demetrius I Of Bactria king Demetrius (r.c. 205-171 BCE).
Obv. Draped and wearing an elephant scalp, symbol of his conquest of India.
Rev. Youthful, naked Heracles, crowning himself with right hand, with lion skin and upright club resting on his left arm. Greek legend: BASILEOS DIMITRIOU "King Demetrius".]] Demetrius (reigned circa 205-171 BCE) was a Greek king of Bactria and India. He was the son of Euthydemus and succeeded him around 200 BC, after which he conquered extensive areas in what now is eastern Iran, Pakistan, Punjab and northern India, thus creating an Indo-Greek kingdom far from Hellenistic Greece, that was to last until around 1 BC. Invasion of India Demetrius started the invasion of northern India from 180 BCE, following the destruction of the Mauryan dynasty by the general Pusyamitra Sunga, who then founded the new Indian Sunga dynasty (185-78 BCE). The Mauryans had had diplomatic and matrimonial alliances with the Greeks, and they may have been considered as allies by the Greco-Bactrians. Demetrius went as far as the capital Pataliputra in eastern India (today Patna): "Those who came after Alexander went to the Ganges and Pataliputra" (Strabo, XV.698). The Indian records also describes Greek attacks on Saketa, Panchala, Mathura and Pataliputra (Gargi-Samhita, Yuga Purana chapter). The invasion was completed by 175 BCE, and the Indo-Greeks ruled various part of northern and northwestern India until the end of the 1st century BCE, while the Sungas remained in the east. Aftermaths Polybius mentions him being murdered by the general Eucratides, the empire being divided shortly after his death. Eucratides apparently invaded Bactria during the time Demetrius was in India. Eucratides eliminated the sons of Demetrius who ruled there as sub-Kings, and apparently vanquished Demetrius when he came back from India to face the usurper. Demetrius left behind his generals Apollodotus and Menander I, who in turn became kings of India and rulers of the Indo-Greek Kingdom following his death. According to Ptolemy, a Demetriapolis was founded in Arachosia. Demetrius is a legend as well as an enigma. He was a hero of Indian folklore under the folk-etymological name Dharma-Mithra, and was mentioned by Geoffrey Chaucer ("D, lord of Ind"). Demetrius and Buddhism other main coin type of Demetrius.
Obv: Rejoincing young elephant with bell, within the royal bead and reel contour.
Rev: Caduceus, representing concord between two serpents. Greek legend BASILEOS DIMITRIOS "King Demetrius".] There are many records of the Sunga empire persecuting Buddhism, but on the contrary Buddhism flourished under the Indo-Greek kings, and it has been suggested that their invasion of India was not only intended to show their support for the philhellenic Mauryan empire, but also to protect the Buddhist faith from the religious persecutions of the Sungas. Coinage The other main coin type of Demetrius represents a rejoicing elephant, depicted on the front on the coin and surrounded by the royal bead-and-reel decoration, and therefore treated on the same level as a King. The elephant, one of the symbols of Buddhism and the Gautama Buddha, possibly represents the victory of Buddhism brought about by Demetrius. The reverse of the coin depicts the caduceus, symbol of reconciliation between two fighting serpents, which is likely a representation of peace between the Greeks and the Sungas, and likewise between Buddhism and Brahmanism. Alternatively though, the elephant has also been described as a possible symbol of the Greek Indian capital of Taxila (Tarn). Demetrius's successors in India are officially described as BASILEOS SOTHROS "Saviour King" in the Greek and Kharoshthi legends of their coins. Indian sources Demetrius is named Dharmamita ("Friend of the Dharma") in the Indian text of the Yuga-Purana, a name which probably both reflected phonological approximation of the name Demetrius and an expression of what the King stood for. Greco-Buddhist art There are several parallels between Demetrius and the first representations of the Buddha in human form. The deified likeness of Demetrius, including facial features and physical proportions, may have influenced some of the first representations of the Buddha in Greco-Buddhist art, typically depicted in a manner reminescent of the Greek king. Also in another parallel, the characteristic protector deity of Demetrius (Herakles standing with his club over his arm, as seen on the reverse of his coins), was represented in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara as the protector deity of the Buddha.
External links See also References - "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 1581152035
- "Buddhism in Central Asia" by B.N. Puri (Motilal Banarsidass Pub, January 1, 2000) ISBN 8120803728
- "The Greeks in Bactria and India", W.W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.
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