GREEK INSCRIPTIONS ON GRECO-BACTRIAN COINS AS HISTORICAL SOURCES

Abstract

This article analyzes the inscriptions on coins minted in the ancient Greco-Bactrian kingdom as significant historical sources. The coins are examined as unique epigraphic and numismatic materials that reflect the political, economic, and cultural life of their time. The study demonstrates that the inscriptions found on the coins of rulers such as Diodotus I, Euthydemus, Eucratides, Agathocles, Plato, and Heliocles serve as important sources that make it possible to reintroduce data related to political legitimation, religious ideology, and state governance strategies into scientific circulation. Furthermore, the bilingual inscriptions on these coins are interpreted as clear examples of the synthesis of Eastern and Western cultural elements, representing the broader process of Hellenization.