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At one time, the coins on this page were regarded as issues of Heliocles I, simply with different monograms and different
looking portraits. Not only are the names and titles the same, but the reverse types, with a standing Zeus, are also the same. But we can now be sure
that they are issues of a different king with the same name, as coins of Heliocles II are known that are overstrikes on coins of Agathocleia, Strato I,
and Antialcidas. Thus Heliocles II must have been a king who followed or was at least contemporary with these other kings. Heliocles I, on the other
hand, had ruled in Bactria, only until c. 130 BCE. Since Heliocles II was about 30-40 years later, he may have been the son or grandson of Heliocles I.
Since he uses all the monograms of Strato I, it is quite likely that he conquered all of Strato's territory.
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Heliocles II |
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Heliocles II, Silver tetradrachm
Weight: 9.64 gm. Diameter: 28 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed bust of king right, Greek legend around:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Basileos Dikaiou Heliokleous ... (of King Heliocles, the just)
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at left, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakreyasa
Reference: MIG 288b, Bop 1A
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Heliocles II issued coins only to the Indian standard; we know of no Attic weight coins of his.
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Heliocles II, Silver tetradrachm
Weight: 9.60 gm. Diameter: 25 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed bust of king right, Greek legend around:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Basileos Dikaiou Heliokleous ... (of King Heliocles, the just)
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at right, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakresasa
Reference: MIG 288 var, Bop 1 var
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Bopearachchi does not record this monogram for the tetradrachm, although he does for the drachm
(type 2E). The rendition in Kharoshthi of the king's name differed by mint: on this coin it is heliyakresasa instead of the heliyakreyasa
seen on the previous coin.
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Heliocles II, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.27 gm. Diameter: 17 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed bust of king right, Greek legend around:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at left, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakreyasa
Reference: MIG 289k, Bop 2D
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A drachm with the heliyakreyasa rendition of the king's name.
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Heliocles II, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.28 gm. Diameter: 16 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed bust of king right, Greek legend around:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at right, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakresasa
Reference: MIG 289f, Bop 2F
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A drachm with the heliyakresasa rendition of the king's name.
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Heliocles II, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.31 gm. Diameter: 17 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed bust of king right, Greek legend around:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at left, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakreasa
Reference: MIG 289i, Bop 2G
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A drachm with a third spelling of the king's name: heliyakreasa.
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Heliocles II, Silver tetradrachm
Weight: 9.65 gm. Diameter: 25 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed, helmeted bust of king right, Greek legend around:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at left, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakreyasa
Reference: MIG 290b, Bop 3B
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Heliocles II issued silver coins with four different obverse types: bare-headed (five previous
coins), helmeted (this coin), spearthruster (next coin) and helmeted spearthruster (see below). All four types are illustrated here. Drachms
are known only for the bare-headed and helmeted spearthruster types.
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Heliocles II, Silver tetradrachm
Weight: 8.89 gm. Diameter: 26 mm Die axis: 11h
Diademed bust of king left, seen from behind, holding spear in right hand,
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at left, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakreyasa
Reference: MIG 291a, Bop 4A
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Heliocles II, Silver tetradrachm
Weight: 9.52 gm. Diameter: 26 mm Die axis: 12:30h
Diademed bust of king left, seen from behind, holding spear in right hand,
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left, monograms
at left and right, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakreasa
Reference: MIG ---, Bop ---
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This is a previously unrecorded type. The monogram is known for the Bare-headed type (Bop 2H) but not for
the spearthruster type. Here the spelling of the king's name conforms to this mint's convention: heliyakreasa
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Heliocles II, Silver tetradrachm
Weight: 9.75 gm. Diameter: 25 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed, helmeted bust of king left, seen from behind, holding spear in right hand,
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at left, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakresasa
Reference: MIG 292 var, Bop 5B var
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Another previously unrecorded type. Although this monogram is known for the helmeted
spearthruster type, the spelling of the king's name does not conform to this mint's convention: here it is heliyakresasa instead of the
expected heliyakreyasa. (photo, courtesy CNG)
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Heliocles II, Silver drachm
Weight: 2.42 gm. Diameter: 18 mm Die axis: 11h
Diademed, helmeted bust of king left, seen from behind, holding spear in right hand,
Greek legend around: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt in right hand, spear in left,
monogram at right, Kharoshthi legend around: maharajasa dhramikasa / heliyakresasa
Reference: MIG 293, Bop 6A
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Heliocles II, Bronze Quadruple
Weight: 9.21 gm. Dimensions: 25 x 21 mm Die axis: 12h
Diademed bust of king right, Greek legend on three sides:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Elephant walking left, monogram below,
Kharoshthi legend on three sides: maharajasa / dhramikasa / heliyakre ...
Reference: MIG 294, Bop 7
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Heliocles II issued just three bronze types, all of which are illustrated here. This coin appears
to be an overstrike, making it difficult to read the king's Kharoshthi name and to discern the monogram.
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Heliocles II, Bronze Quadruple
Weight: 9.59 gm. Dimensions: 23 x 22 mm Die axis: 12h
Elephant walking right, Greek legend on three sides:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Bull walking right, monogram below,
Kharoshthi legend on three sides: maharajasa / dhramikasa / heliyakresasa
Reference: MIG 296 var, Bop 8 var
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This monogram and Kharoshthi spelling of the king's name are unrecorded for this type.
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Heliocles II, Bronze Quadruple
Weight: 9.33 gm. Dimensions: 22 x 22 mm Die axis: 12h
Elephant walking left, Greek legend on three sides:
BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΔIKAIOY / HΛIOKΛEOYΣ
Bull walking right, monogram below,
Kharoshthi legend on three sides: maharajasa / dhramikasa / heliyakreasa
Reference: MIG 297 var, Bop 9 var
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This monogram is unrecorded for all of the bronze coinage of Heliocles II (see Bop 2I for an
example in silver).
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