Archebius

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title: "Archebius" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["indo-greek-kings", "1st-century-bc-monarchs-in-asia"] topic_path: "general/indo-greek-kings" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archebius" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

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Field	Value
name	Archebius Dikaios Nikephoros ("The Just and Victorious")
succession	Indo-Greek king
image	Archebios portrait.jpg
caption	Portrait of Archebios on one of his tetradrachms
reign	90–80 BCE
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| name = Archebius Dikaios Nikephoros ("The Just and Victorious") | succession = Indo-Greek king | image = Archebios portrait.jpg | caption = Portrait of Archebios on one of his tetradrachms | reign = 90–80 BCE |}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Archebios_Tetradrachm.jpg" caption="Tetradrachm of Archebios.
Obv: Helmetted king Archebius. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΕΒΙΟΥ "Of King Archebius the Just and Victorious"
Rev: [[Zeus]], with [[Kharoshthi]] legend: MAHARAJASA DHRAMIKASA JAYADHARASA ARKHEBIYASA "Archebios, the victorious king of the [[Dharma]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Archebios_bareheaded.jpg" caption="Coin of Archebius.
Obv: Bareheaded king Archebius. With Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΕΒΙΟΥ "Of King Archebius the Just and Victorious"
Rev: [[Zeus]], with [[Kharoshthi]] legend: MAHARAJASA DHRAMIKASA JAYADHARASA ARKHEBIYASA "Archebios, the victorious king of the [[Dharma]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Archebios_holding_spear.jpg" caption="Coin of Archebius.
Obv: Helmetted king Archebius holding a spear. With Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΡΧΕΒΙΟΥ "Of King Archebius the Just and Victorious"
Rev: [[Zeus]], with [[Kharoshthi]] legend: MAHARAJASA DHRAMIKASA JAYADHARASA ARKHEBIYASA "Archebios, the victorious king of the [[Dharma]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Archebios_with_elephant_and_owl.jpg" caption="Archebios coin with elephant and owl."] ::

Archebius Dikaios Nikephoros (Greek: Ἀρχέβιος ὁ Δίκαιος, ὁ Νικηφόρος; epithets mean respectively, "the Just", "the Victorious"; formerly read as "Archelius") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the area of Taxila. Osmund Bopearachchi dates him to c. 90–80 BCE, and R. C. Senior to about the same period. He was probably one of the last Indo-Greek kings before the Saka king Maues conquered Taxila, and a contemporary of Hermaeus in the west. He may have been a relative of Heliokles II, who used a similar reverse and also the title Dikaios.

Coin types

Archebius' name means "ruler of life" deriving from ἄρχω (“to rule”) and βίος ("life”). He issued silver with diademed or helmeted king, sometimes in spear-throwing pose. On the reverse is Zeus standing facing, holding a thunderbolt or on some issues an aegis.

Archebius also struck a rare series of Attic tetradrachms, found in Bactria.

He also issued bronzes with Nike on one side and an owl on the other.

Overstrikes

Archebius overstruck two coins of Peukolaos.

File:Coin of Indo-Greek king Archebios.jpg|King thrusting javelin, with Zeus holding thunderbolt. File:Coin of Indo Greek ruler Archebios.jpg|Bust of Zeus, and caps of the Dioscuri with palms.

References

References

1. (1966). "Sir Alexander Cunningham and the Beginnings of Indian Archaeology". Asiatic Society of Pakistan.
2. "Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol V 1836".
3. "User-submitted name Archebios - Behind the Name".

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