Strato II and III

This article is about Indo-Greek kings. For the airplane, see Grob Strato 2C.

Strato II
Indo-Greek king
Coin of Strato II. Obv: Probable bust of Strato II. Greek legend: BASILEOS SOTEROS STRATONOS "Of King Strato the Savior". Rev: Athena holding a thunderbolt. Kharoshthi legend: MAHARAJASA TRATARASA STRATASA "King Strato the Saviour".
Reign	25 BCE – 10 CE

Strato II "Soter" (Ancient Greek: Στράτων B΄ ὁ Σωτήρ, Strátōn B΄ ho Sotḗr; epithet means "the Saviour") was an Indo-Greek king. He ruled c. 25 BCE to 10 CE according to Bopearachchi. R. C. Senior suggests that his reign ended perhaps a decade earlier.

Rule

Strato II ruled in the eastern Punjab, probably retaining the capital of Sagala (modern Sialkot, Pakistan), or possibly to the city of Bucephala (Plutarch, p. 48 n. 5).

His territory was invaded by Rajuvula, Indo-Scythian king of Mathura, and he became the last of the Indo-Greek kings, together with his son Strato (III) Soter Philopator ("the father-loving"), who was included as joint regent on some of his coins and also issued coins on his own.

A few silver coins with a different portrait and the inscription Strato Soter Dikaios ("the just") may also belong to Strato III as sole ruler, or to a fourth king named Strato.

Just like the earlier king Strato I, the last Stratons I are thought to belong to the dynasty of Menander I, who also used the epithet Soter and the symbol of standing Pallas Athena.

Coins of Strato II, III and Strato Dikaios

Coin of Strato II and Strato III.
Obv: Probable bust of Strato II. Possible Greek legend: BASILEOS SOTEROS STRATONOS KAI PHILOPATOROS STRATONOS "Of Kings Strato the Saviour and Strato the Father-loving".
Rev: Athena holding a thunderbolt. Kharoshthi legend: MAHARAJASA TRATARASA STRATASA, POTRASA CASA PRIYAPITA STRATASA "King Strato the Saviour, and his grandson Strato the Father-loving.

The chronology of the late Indo-Greek kingdom has been established by Bopearachchi and other scholars from numismatical evidence alone. The coins deteriorated continuously, the Strato coins being the most debased and crude in style, a striking contrast to earlier kings who struck some of the most beautiful coins of antiquity.

The decay was due to the increasing pressure of the Indo-Scythian nomads on the remaining Greek pockets, as well as their long isolation from the rest of the Hellenistic world.Subsequent Indo-Scythian rulers, such as Bhadayasa designed their coins in direct imitation of those of Strato II.

Strato II, III and Strato Dikaios struck debased silver drachms, which as mentioned portray Pallas on the reverse. Strato II appears as an old man with a sunken jaw on some of his coins, which is not surprising given that his grandson was co-regent.

Strato II also issued bronzes and even lead coins of the common type Apollo/tripod. On some of Strato II's silver drachms the letter sigma is written as C, a not uncommon trait on late Hellenistic coins in the east.

INDO-GREEK KINGS AND THEIR TERRITORIES Based on Bopearachchi (1991)
Territories/ Dates	PAROPAMISADE	ARACHOSIA	GANDHARA	WESTERN PUNJAB	EASTERN PUNJAB
200–190 BC	Demetrius I
190–180 BC	Agathocles	Pantaleon
185–170 BC	Antimachus I
180–160 BC	Apollodotus I
175–170 BC	Demetrius II
170–145 BC	Eucratides
160–155 BC	Antimachus II
155–130 BC	Menander I
130–120 BC	Zoilos I		Agathokleia
120–110 BC	Lysias		Strato I
110–100 BC	Antialcidas		Heliokles II
100 BC	Polyxenos		Demetrius III
100–95 BC	Philoxenus
95–90 BC	Diomedes	Amyntas		Epander
90 BC	Theophilos	Peukolaos		Thraso
90–85 BC	Nicias	Menander II		Artemidoros
90–70 BC	Hermaeus	Archebios
	Yuezhi tribes		Maues (Indo-Scythian)
75–70 BC			Telephos	Apollodotus II
65–55 BC				Hippostratos	Dionysios
55–35 BC				Azes I (Indo-Scythian)	Zoilos II
55–35 BC					Apollophanes
25 BC – 10 AD					Strato II & III
					Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian)

See also

• Indo-Greek Kingdom
• Greco-Buddhism
• Indo-Scythians

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

• At the Internet Archive.

External links

• (French) Straton II, roi indo-grec

Preceded by Apollophanes

Indo-Greek ruler (Eastern Punjab) 25 BCE – 10 CE

Office abolished