Coins struck at Bactra
2 catalogued coins and notes attributed to Bactra, with weights, legends, dates and Wikimedia-sourced images across Seleucid Persia.
In short
Bactra — modern Balkh in northern Afghanistan — was the mint of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, the most easterly Hellenistic coinage and among the finest portrait engraving of the ancient world. Bactra is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 2 coins and notes struck between 250 BCE – 230 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Drachm, Tetradrachm denominations, issued under Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian), Euthydemus I.
- Catalogued
- 2
- Eras
- 1
- Metals
- 1
- Denominations
- 2
Key facts
| Catalogued pieces | 2 |
|---|---|
| Date range | 250 BCE – 230 CE |
| Eras represented | Seleucid Persia |
| Metals | Silver |
| Denominations | Drachm, Tetradrachm |
| Issuers | Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian), Euthydemus I |
| Location | Balkh, northern Afghanistan |
| Independent from | c. 250 BCE under Diodotus I |
| Standard | Attic, tetradrachm ≈16.8 g |
| Notable for | Realist royal portraiture |
Greek kings beyond the Hindu Kush
After Diodotus I broke Bactria away from Seleucid control around 250 BCE, its kings struck Attic-weight silver of exceptional artistic quality. The portraits are unidealised and individual — Euthydemus's heavy jaw, Antimachus's flat hat — in a period when most royal coinage was formulaic.
Bactrian coinage is also the only substantial evidence for several kings whose names appear nowhere in surviving literature. Numismatics here does not illustrate history; it constitutes it.
Standards and collecting
Tetradrachms on the Attic standard near 16.8 g are the flagship denomination, with drachms and bronzes below; later Indo-Greek issues shift to bilingual Greek–Kharoshthi legends and a lighter Indian standard.
The market is well studied and heavily forged. Buy certified pieces or established provenance, and treat any unusually fine 'unpublished' portrait with suspicion.
Seleucid Persia · 312 – 141 BCE
Era overview →Frequently asked about Bactra
- Why are Greco-Bactrian coins famous?
- For their portraiture. Bactrian engravers produced individualised, realistic royal heads unmatched elsewhere in the Hellenistic world, and their coins are the only record of several kings.
- Where was Bactra?
- At modern Balkh in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Bactria on the trade routes between Iran, India and Central Asia.
- What coins were struck at Bactra?
- Bactra is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 2 coins and notes struck between 250 BCE – 230 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Drachm, Tetradrachm denominations, issued under Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian), Euthydemus I.
- How many Bactra pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?
- 2 items, dated 250 BCE – 230 CE, spread across 1 era: Seleucid Persia.
- Which metals were used for Bactra coinage?
- Silver. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.
- Which denominations are associated with Bactra?
- Drachm, Tetradrachm. Every denomination has its own reference page with dated examples.