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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
{{Infobox royalty
| name           =Azes I
| name         = Azes I
| title           =[[Indo-Scythian]] king
| title       = [[Indo-Scythian]] king
| image= Coin of Azes I.jpg
| image       = Coin of Azes I.jpg
| caption         =<small>Coin of Azes I.<br>'''Obv:''' Azes I in military dress, on a horse, with couched spear. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΑΖΟΥ "of the Great King of Kings Azes". [[British Museum]].</small>
| caption     = <small>Coin of Azes I.<br />'''Obv:''' Azes I in military dress, on a horse, with couched spear. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΑΖΟΥ "of the Great King of Kings Azes". [[British Museum]].</small>
| reign           =''c''. 48/47 – 25 BCE
| reign       = ''c''. 48/47 – 25 BCE
| coronation     =
| coronation   =  
| full name       =
| full name   =  
| predecessor     =[[Spalirises]]
| predecessor = [[Spalirises]]
| successor       =[[Azilises]]
| successor   = [[Azilises]]
| spouse         =
| spouse       =  
| issue           =
| issue       =  
| royal house     =
| royal house =  
| dynasty         =
| dynasty     =  
| father         =
| father       =  
| mother         =
| mother       =  
| birth_date  =
| birth_date  =  
| birth_place  =
| birth_place  =  
| death_date  =
| death_date  =  
| death_place  =
| death_place  =  
| date of burial =
| burial_date =  
| place of burial =
| burial_place =  
|}}
}}
'''Azes I''' ([[Greek alphabet|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|[[wiktionary:Ἄζης|Ἄζης]]}} {{transl|grc|Azēs}}, epigraphically {{lang|grc|ΑΖΟΥ}} {{transl|grc|Azou}}; [[Kharosthi]]: '''{{lang|pgd|[[wiktionary:𐨀𐨩|𐨀𐨩]]}}''' {{transl|pgd|A-ya}}, {{transl|pgd|Aya}};<ref>{{cite book |last=Gardner |first=Percy |author-link=Percy Gardner |date=1929 |title=The Coins of the Greek and Scythic Kings of Bactria and India in the British Museum |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924022932382 |location=London |publisher=Gilbert & Rivington Ltd. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924022932382/page/n151/mode/2up 73]-[https://archive.org/details/cu31924022932382/page/n171/mode/2up 92] |isbn=978-0-900-83452-3 }}</ref> both from [[Saka language|Saka]] {{lang|xsc|*Aza}}, meaning "leader".<ref>{{cite book |last=Harmatta |first=János |author-link=János Harmatta |editor-last1=Harmatta |editor-first1=János |editor-link1=János Harmatta |editor-last2=Puri |editor-first2=B. N. |editor-link2=Baij Nath Puri |editor-last3=Etemadi |editor-first3=G. F. |date=1999 |chapter=Languages and scripts in Graeco-Bactria and the Saka Kingdoms |title=History of civilizations of Central Asia |volume=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DguGWP0vGY8C |location=Delhi |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass|Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House]] |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=9U6RlVVjpakC&pg=PA409#v=onepage&q&f=false 409] |isbn=978-8-120-81408-0}}</ref>) was an [[Indo-Scythian]] ruler who ruled around c. 48/47 BCE – 25 BCE<ref>Falk and Bennett (2009), pp. 197–215.</ref> and completed the domination of the Scythians in northwestern [[Indian subcontinent|India]].
 
'''Azes I''' ([[Greek alphabet|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|[[wiktionary:Ἄζης|Ἄζης]]}} {{transliteration|grc|Azēs}}, epigraphically {{lang|grc|ΑΖΟΥ}} {{transliteration|grc|Azou}}; [[Kharosthi]]: '''{{lang|pgd|[[wiktionary:𐨀𐨩|𐨀𐨩]]}}''' {{transliteration|pgd|A-ya}}, {{transliteration|pgd|Aya}}<ref name="Gardner">{{cite book |last=Gardner |first=Percy |author-link=Percy Gardner |date=1929 |title=The Coins of the Greek and Scythic Kings of Bactria and India in the British Museum |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924022932382 |location=London |publisher=Gilbert & Rivington Ltd. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924022932382/page/n151/mode/2up 73]-[https://archive.org/details/cu31924022932382/page/n171/mode/2up 92] |isbn=978-0-900-83452-3 }}</ref>) was an [[Indo-Scythian]] ruler who ruled around c. 48/47 BCE – 25 BCE<ref>Falk and Bennett (2009), pp. 197–215.</ref> with a dynastic empire based in the [[Punjab]] and [[Indus River|Indus Valley]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mac Dowell |first=D. W. |date=30 December 2012 |title=D. W. Mac Dowell, "AZES," Encyclopaedia Iranica, III/3, p. 257 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/azes |website=iranicaonline.com}}</ref> completed the domination of the Scythians in the northwestern [[Indian subcontinent]].
 
==Name==
Azes's name is attested on his coins in the [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] form {{transliteration|grc|Azēs}} ({{lang|grc|[[wiktionary:Ἄζης|Ἄζης]]}}) and the [[Kharosthi]] form {{transliteration|pgd|Aya}} ({{lang|pgd|[[wiktionary:𐨀𐨩|𐨀𐨩]]}}),<ref name="Gardner"/> which are both derived from the [[Saka language|Saka]] name {{lang|xsc|*Aza}}, meaning "leader".<ref>{{cite book |last=Harmatta |first=János |author-link=János Harmatta |editor-last1=Harmatta |editor-first1=János |editor-link1=János Harmatta |editor-last2=Puri |editor-first2=B. N. |editor-link2=Baij Nath Puri |editor-last3=Etemadi |editor-first3=G. F. |date=1999 |chapter=Languages and scripts in Graeco-Bactria and the Saka Kingdoms |title=History of civilizations of Central Asia |volume=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DguGWP0vGY8C |location=Delhi |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass|Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House]] |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=9U6RlVVjpakC&pg=PA409 409] |isbn=978-8-120-81408-0}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[File:Whitehead Coins of the Punjab Museum Plate XI Azes Demeter and Hermes.jpg|thumb|Coin of Azes with Demeter and Hermes.]] [[Maues]] and his successors had conquered the areas of [[Gandhara]], as well as the area of [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]] from 85 BCE forming the [[Northern Satraps]].
[[File:Whitehead Coins of the Punjab Museum Plate XI Azes Demeter and Hermes.jpg|thumb|Coin of Azes with Demeter and Hermes.]] [[Maues]] and his successors had conquered the areas of [[Gandhara]], as well as the area of [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]] from 85 BCE forming the [[Northern Satraps]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2022|reason=}}


==The Azes Era==
==The Azes Era==
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==References==
==References==
* {{cite journal| author=Harry Falk and Chris Bennett |year=2009 |title=Macedonian Intercalary Months and the Era of Azes|url=https://www.academia.edu/349875 |journal=Acta Orientalia |issue=70 |pages=197–215 |issn=0001-6438 |access-date=11 April 2014}}
* {{cite journal| author=Harry Falk and Chris Bennett |year=2009 |title=Macedonian Intercalary Months and the Era of Azes|url=https://www.academia.edu/349875 |journal=Acta Orientalia |issue=70 |pages=197–215 |issn=0001-6438 |access-date=11 April 2014}}
* {{cite book|title=The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies |author=McEvilley, Thomas |author-link=Thomas McEvilley |publisher=Allworth Press and the School of Visual Arts |date=2002| isbn=978-1-58115-203-6 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=vTfm8KHn900C |access-date=11 April 2014}}
* {{cite book|title=The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies |author=McEvilley, Thomas |author-link=Thomas McEvilley |publisher=Allworth Press and the School of Visual Arts |date=2002| isbn=978-1-58115-203-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vTfm8KHn900C |access-date=11 April 2014}}
* {{cite book| title=The Greeks in Bactria and India | author=W.W. Tarn |publisher=Cambridge University Press |author-link=William Woodthorpe Tarn |url=https://books.google.com/?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC |date=2010 |isbn=978-1-108-00941-6| access-date=11 April 2014}}
* {{cite book| title=The Greeks in Bactria and India | author=W.W. Tarn |publisher=Cambridge University Press |author-link=William Woodthorpe Tarn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC |date=2010 |isbn=978-1-108-00941-6| access-date=11 April 2014}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110608082305/http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/indo_scythians/azes_I/t.html Coins of Azes I]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110608082305/http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/indo_scythians/azes_I/t.html Coins of Azes I] (archived)
* [http://www.kushan.org/essays/chronology/azesvikrama.htm Discussion of the Azes and Greek Era]
* [http://www.kushan.org/essays/chronology/azesvikrama.htm Discussion of the Azes and Greek Era]


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{{Indo-Scythians}}
{{Indo-Scythians}}
 
{{Authority control}}
{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Azes 01}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azes 01}}

Latest revision as of 12:07, 25 February 2026

Azes I
Indo-Scythian king
Coin of Azes I.
Obv: Azes I in military dress, on a horse, with couched spear. Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΑΖΟΥ "of the Great King of Kings Azes". British Museum.
Reignc. 48/47 – 25 BCE
PredecessorSpalirises
SuccessorAzilises

Azes I (Greek: Ἄζης Azēs, epigraphically ΑΖΟΥ Azou; Kharosthi: 𐨀𐨩 A-ya, Aya[1]) was an Indo-Scythian ruler who ruled around c. 48/47 BCE – 25 BCE[2] with a dynastic empire based in the Punjab and Indus Valley,[3] completed the domination of the Scythians in the northwestern Indian subcontinent.

Name[edit | edit source]

Azes's name is attested on his coins in the Greek form Azēs (Ἄζης) and the Kharosthi form Aya (𐨀𐨩),[1] which are both derived from the Saka name *Aza, meaning "leader".[4]

History[edit | edit source]

Coin of Azes with Demeter and Hermes.

Maues and his successors had conquered the areas of Gandhara, as well as the area of Mathura from 85 BCE forming the Northern Satraps.[citation needed]

The Azes Era[edit | edit source]

Azes's most lasting legacy was the foundation of the Azes era. It was widely believed that the era was begun by Azes's successors by simply continuing the counting of his regnal years. However, Prof. Harry Falk has recently presented an inscription at several conferences which dates to Azes's reign, and suggests that the era may have been begun by Azes himself. Most popular historians date the start of the Azes era to 58 BC and believe it is the same as the later era known as the Malwa or Vikrama era.[5]

However, a recently discovered inscription, the Bajaur reliquary inscription, dated in both the Azes and the Greek era suggests that actually this is not the case. The inscription gives the relationship Azes = Greek + 128. It is believed that the Greek era may have begun in 173 BCE, exactly 300 years before the first year of the Era of Kanishka. If that is the case then the Azes era would begin in about 45 BC.[6]

Azes I and Azes II identical?[edit | edit source]

According to Senior, Azes I may have been identical with Azes II, due to the discovery of an overstrike of the former over the latter.[7]

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Gardner, Percy (1929). The Coins of the Greek and Scythic Kings of Bactria and India in the British Museum. London: Gilbert & Rivington Ltd. pp. 73-92. ISBN 978-0-900-83452-3.
  2. Falk and Bennett (2009), pp. 197–215.
  3. Mac Dowell, D. W. (30 December 2012). "D. W. Mac Dowell, "AZES," Encyclopaedia Iranica, III/3, p. 257". iranicaonline.com.
  4. Harmatta, János (1999). "Languages and scripts in Graeco-Bactria and the Saka Kingdoms". In Harmatta, János; Puri, B. N.; Etemadi, G. F. (eds.). History of civilizations of Central Asia. Vol. 2. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House. p. 409. ISBN 978-8-120-81408-0.
  5. Richard Salomon (1998). Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages. Oxford University Press. pp. 182–183, 194–195. ISBN 978-0-19-509984-3.
  6. For discussions refer to Bracey, R. (2005) 'The Azes Era' (http://www.kushan.org/essays/chronology/azesvikrama.htm), Cribb, J (2005) 'The Greek Kingdom of Bactria, its coinage and collapse' in Afghanistan, Ancien Carrefour entre l'est et l'ouest (ed. Bopearachichi O & Boussac, M-F), Turnhout: 207–225, Falk, H. & C. J. Bennett 'Macedonian Intercalary Months and the Era of Azes' Acta Orientalia 70 (2009) 197–216
  7. Coin India

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Preceded by
Spalirises
(Indo-Scythian king)
Indo-Scythian Ruler
57 – 35 BCE
Succeeded by
Azilises
Preceded by
Telephos
(Indo-Greek king in
Arachosia and Gandhara)
Preceded by
Hippostratos
(Indo-Greek king in
Western Punjab)