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Robert Senior has argued that there was only one king named Azes and that he ruled c. 58-12 BCE. Previously, it had been thought that there were two kings by that
name, perhaps grandfather and grandson, sandwiched around a king named Azilises. Senior places Azilises earlier in the series (right after Maues and before the Vonones family).
I have not studied the series closely enough to have formed a clear opinion on the matter. Some other things Senior has argued for as part of his overall argument are clearly
incorrect, such as his belief that the Saka era was founded by Kanishka, thus dating that king to the year 78 rather than the almost universally accepted date of 127. On the
other hand, Senior did a painstaking study of the Indo-Scythian coinage and has recently found a coin that he says is an overstrike of an "Azes I"" coin over an "Azes II" coin,
something that is clearly impossible under the two-Azes theory. For now, I am presenting the coins as if they are the issues of two separate kings, realizing that they may belong
together.
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Spalirises with Azes I |
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Spalirises and Azes, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.16 gm. Diameter: 17 mm Die axis: 12 o'clock
King mounted on horse right, holding spear, Greek legend around:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛOY / þΠAΛIPICOY
Zeus standing facing, holding sceptre and thunderbolt, monogram at left,
Kharoshthi letter at right, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa mahatakasa / ayasa
Reference: MIG 696d, Sen 74.2D
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Spalirises appears to have been a member of the "Vonones family," as there are certain rare coins naming Vonones and Spalirises. He
subsequently issued some coins on his own, before finishing with these joint coins with Azes.
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Azes I |
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Azes, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.33 gm. Diameter: 17-18 mm Die axis: 12 o'clock
Zeus standing left, holding sceptre in left hand, right hand out-stretched in blessing,
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY // AZOY
Winged Nike standing right, holding wreath and palm, monogram at right,
Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa rajara ... jasa mahatasa // ayasa
Reference: MIG 738, Sen 76.1D
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On this variety, Nike's palm interrupts the word rajarajasa.
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Azes, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.37 gm. Diameter: 18-19 mm Die axis: 12 o'clock
Zeus standing left, holding sceptre in left hand, right hand out-stretched in blessing,
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY // AZOY
Winged Nike standing right, holding wreath and palm, monogram at right,
Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa rajarajasa ... mahatasa // ayasa
Reference: MIG 738, Sen 76.4D
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On this variety, Nike's palm interrupts the legend after the word rajarajasa.
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Azes, Silver tetradrachm
Weight: 7.91 gm. Diameter: 27 mm Die axis: 11 o'clock
King mounted on horse right, holding spear, Greek legend around:
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY / AZOY
Zeus standing facing, holding sceptre and thunderbolt, Kharoshthi letter dhra at left,
monogram and Kharoshthi letter ru at right,
Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa rajarajasa mahatasa / ayasa
Reference: MIG 749 var, Sen 80.43T
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The main difference between the coins of "Azes I" and "Azes II" is that on the mounted king types, Azes I has his right arm back,
holding his spear or lance (as on this coin), while Azes II has his right arm raised high, holding a whip.
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Azes, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.14 gm. Diameter: 16 mm Die axis: 11 o'clock
King mounted on horse right, holding spear, Greek legend around:
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY / AZOY
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in raised right hand, sceptre in left,
monogram at left, Kharoshthi letter a at right,
Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa rajarajasa mahatasa / ayasa
Reference: MIG 748, Sen 88.3D
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This is not the drachm version of the previous coin, but a scarcer type in which Zeus on the reverse has a raised right hand.
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Azes, AE hexachalkon
Weight: 12.89 gm. Dimensions: 25 x 25 mm Die axis: 12 o'clock
King mounted on Bactrian camel right, holding axe, Greek legend around:
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY / AZOY
Humped bull standing right, monogram at right,
Kharoshthi legend around (on 3 sides only): maharajasa rajatirajasa mahatasa ayasa
MIG 761, Sen 81.10
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Senior suggests that the animal on the reverse may be a yak, but the prominent hump seems to identify it as a bull. Note that the king
is riding a camel on this coin, not the usual horse. The coin appears to be overstruck, although I could not identify the undertype.
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Azes, AE chalkous or quarter unit
Weight: 2.76 gm. Dimensions: 20 x 15 mm Die axis: 12 o'clock
Balarama walking left, holding club and plough,
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BA / ΣIΛEΩN M / EΓAΛOY AZOY
Female deity standing right, holding fillet, monogram at right,
Kharoshthi legend around (on 3 sides only): maharajasa rajatirajasa mahatasa ayasa
MIG 742, Sen 78.1
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Mitchiner identifies the obverse figure as an unidentified male deity, but Senior has
correctly noted the plough, suggesting that the figure is Balarama (Senior calls him Bala-Krishna). The type follows the
similar type issued by Maues (Sen 20).
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Azes, AE pentachalkon
Weight: 10.00 gm. Dimensions: 25 x 25 mm Die axis: 12 o'clock
King mounted on horse right, holding spear, Greek legend around:
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY / AZOY
Humped bull standing right, monograms above,
Kharoshthi legend around (on 3 sides only): maharajasa rajatirajasa mahatasa ayasa
Reference: MIG 755, Sen 92.1
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