Hermaeus king of Kapisi-Nikaea

Written by Alok Mohan on May 5, 2022. Posted in Uncategorized

#Hermaeus. King of #Kapisi-Nikaea region in northern Afghanistan 80 to 70 B.C.

Hermaeus means the #Saviour was an indo Greek  king of the #Eucratid #Dynasty, who ruled the territory of Kapisi-Nikaea region.
Hermaeus has been pushed very late by #scholars as there had been nothing common between #Hermaeus and #Amyntas.
They have been misled by his square letter-forms, defective
#legends and the appearance of his name on the coins of the #Kushana ruler, #Kedphises. The evidence of letter-forms and defective #legends is vague. At best, it can be used for determining an epoch rather then exact chronology of a ruler.
And it has not been generally
accepted that the Kushana king, Kujula Kadphises, never ruled jointly with Hermaeus. Joint types in their names
were, in fact, issued long after the death of Hermaeus by #Kujula Kadphise by way of a #political move.
Hermaeus monograms give us a fair idea of his date.
Through these he is associated with Menander, Agathocleia, Strato alone and Diomedes. His #monogram
No. 11588 is very common on the coins of Menander
His monogram, No. 114 is found on a joint issue of Strato and Agathocleia as well as on a type of Strato alone.189 His monogram, No. 71 was used on coins by Diomedes , who on similar evidence appears to have
been a sub.king of Heliokles. These monograms, however
are rare on #Hermaeus coins. They occur on his solitary Kapist type only. We may. therefore, assume that the
persons represented by them were very old men and died
shortly after his accession. We may roughly fix his reign between 80 and 70 BC. This will give chance to
Menander’s, rather Heliokles mint-men to survive till the early years of Hermaeus reign.
His types “Zeus enthroned” and “Nike connect Hermaeus with Kapist-Nikaea region. He succeeded Antialkidas to the rule of these districts. There is nothing in his coins to connect him with the family of the latter or for that matter with that of Strato. But his successor #Hippostratus portrayed “Apollo tripod” on his coins,
and hence seems to belong to the family of Apollodotus.
Appearance of Heracles on the coins issued in his name by Kujula Kadphises also points to his Euthydemid
affiliations. Thus, it would appear that between Antialkidas and Hermaeus there was some sort of political upheaval that led to the extinction of the family of #Antialkidas. There
is an ephemeral ruler, Peukolaos, who had a short rule as sub-king of Antialkidas in #Kapiśl-Pushkalavatl region. He is known to have issued only two types: one each of
Kapisi and #Pushkalavati. He did not use square letter forms on his coins, and hence must be placed before rather than after Hermacus. His sudden disappearance may have had some connection with the appearance of Hermaeus. It appears that immediately
after the death of Antialkidas, #Sakas under Maues occupied Taxila and advanced north to Pushkalavatl and Kapisi.
They placed Hermaeus, a Euthydemid prince, on the throne of Peukolaos with reduced territories. It was done
possibly as a sop to the troublesome Greek element in these parts or more probably as a political check on the
expansionist ambitions of #Azes, who was already in possession of Seistan and Arachosia.
Hermaeus tried to make his rule acceptable to the
faction of Peukolaos by marrying #Kalliope, a relative of the
last king, and ruling for some time jointly with her. Since there is only one joint type of Hermaeus and Kalliope we
can presume that this arrangement lasted for only for a short while however judging from his coins, Hermaeus’ rule was long and prosperous, but came to an end when the sakas, from #bactria, overran most of his Greek kingdom.

Reference: E.J. Rapson. CHI Pl.VII. 37
Compare AK. Narain Indo-Geeks, Pl.V.3 and J.N.S.I Tu XVII 1955, Pt 1
Pl.VIII.5. V.A Smith I.M.C Sec. I p.32, no-5

M-V-D Mohan . Indo Greek Coins page 19 1, Pl IV,9
Draped bust of Hermaeus r died both ends stiffly suspended.
Zeus enthroned, holding an unidentified object in outstretched right hand
Khroshthi legend Maharajasa Tratrasa Heramyasa

Alok Mohan

The admin, Alok Mohan, is a graduate mechanical engineer & possess following post graduate specializations:- M Tech Mechanical Engineering Production Engineering Marine engineering Aeronautical Engineering Computer Sciences Software Engineering Specialization He has authored several articles/papers, which are published in various websites & books. Studium Press India Ltd has published one of his latest contributions “Standardization of Education” as a senior author in a book along with many other famous writers of international repute. Alok Mohan has held important positions in both Govt & Private organisations as a Senior professional & as an Engineer & possess close to four decades accomplished experience. As an aeronautical engineer, he ensured accident incident free flying. As leader of indian team during early 1990s, he had successfully ensured smooth induction of Chukar III PTA with Indian navy as well as conduct of operational training. As an aeronautical engineer, he was instrumental in establishing major aircraft maintenance & repair facilities. He is a QMS, EMS & HSE consultant. He provides consultancy to business organisations for implimentation of the requirements of ISO 45001 OH & S, ISO 14001 EMS & ISO 9001 QMS, AS 9100, AS9120 Aero Space Standards. He is a qualified ISO 9001 QMS, ISO 14001 EMS, ISO 45001 OH & S Lead Auditor (CQI/IRCA recognised certification courses) & HSE Consultant. He is a qualified Zed Master Trainer & Zed Assessor. He has thorough knowledge of six sigma quality concepts & has also been awarded industry 4, certificate from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation Knowledge Hub Training Platform  He is a Trainer, a Counselor, an Advisor and a Competent professional of cross functional exposures. He has successfully implimented requirements of various international management system standards in several organizations. He is a dedicated technocrat with expertise in Quality Assurance & Quality Control, Facility Management, General Administration, Marketing, Security, Training, Administration etc. He is a graduate mechanical engineer with specialization in aeronautical engineering. He is always eager to be involved in imparting training, implementing new ideas and improving existing processes by utilizing his vast experience.