Plato of Bactria

Coin of Plato.
Obv: Helmetted bust of Plato.
Rev: Sun divinity Helios, riding a four-hourse charriot. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΠΛΑΤΩΝΟΣ (BASILEOS EPIFANOYS PLATONOS) "Of King Plato, Manifestation of God on earth". Coin marked MZ, which possibly is a dating which equals year (1)47 Seleucid era = 166 BCE

Coin of Plato.
Obv: Diademed bust of Plato.
Rev: Sun divinity Helios, riding a four-hourse charriot. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΠΛΑΤΩΝΟΣ (BASILEOS EPIFANOYS PLATONOS) "Of King Plato, Manifestation of God on earth".

Plato was a Greco-Bactrian king who reigned for a short time in southern Bactria or the Paropamisadae during the mid 2nd century BCE. The style of Plato's coins suggests that he was a relative — most likely a brother since Plato is a middle-aged man on his coins — of Eucratides the Great, whose rise to power is dated to around 170-165 BCE. Some of Plato's coins have inscriptions which may be possibly be interpreted as dates using the Indo-Greek era which started around 186 BCE. In that case Plato ruled around 140 BCE. This matches the dating given by numismatician Bopearachchi, who places Plato between 145-140 BCE, since his coins are not found in the ruins of Ai Khanoum, a Bactrian city which was destroyed during the reign of Eucratides.

See also

• Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
• Seleucid Empire
• Greco-Buddhism
• Indo-Scythians
• Indo-Parthian Kingdom
• Kushan Empire

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 1-58115-203-5
• "Buddhism in Central Asia" by B.N. Puri (Motilal Banarsidass Pub, January 1, 2000) ISBN 81-208-0372-8