Maues

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Maues
Μαύης
Indo-Scythian king
Reign98/85 – 60/57 BCE
SpouseMachene
ReligionGreek Hinduism[1]

Maues (

Indo-Greek territories.[7]

Name

Maues's name primarily attested from his coins appear under the Gandhari form Moa (𐨨𐨆𐨀) and the Ancient Greek form Maúēs (Μαύης),[2] both of which are variants of the same Scythian Saka language name *Mava, meaning "tiger" and "hero".[8]

Another form of Maues's name appears on the Taxila copper plate as Moga (𐨨𐨆𐨒),[3] which is a Gandhari derivation of the Saka name *Mauka, which also means "tiger" and "hero".[8]

The Mathura lion capital inscription refers to Maues as Mevaki Miyika (𐨨𐨅𐨬𐨐𐨁 𐨨𐨁𐨩𐨁𐨐),[4][5] which is composed of Mevaki, derived from Saka *Mavyaka, meaning "tiger", and of Miyika, from Saka *mayaka, meaning "prosperous".[9]

Sakas

Kharoshthi legend. Taxila
mint.

The

Eastern Iranian peoples
.

The Sakas from

Persian
royal title.

Maues Campaigns

Maues is the first recorded ruler of the Sakas in the Indus. He is first mentioned in the

Moga inscription
:

"In the seventy eighth, 78, year the Great King, the Great Moga, on the fifth, 5, day of the month Panemos, on this first, of the Kshaharata and Kshatrapa of Chukhsa - Liaka Kusuluka by name - his son Patika - in the town of Takshasila..."[10]

Mauses is possibly mentioned the Maira inscription in the Salt Range in Pakistan as 'Moasa'.[11]

Maues vastly expanded his domain by conquering key cities along the Indus. This included seizing Taxila in Punjab, and Gandharas capital city Pushkalavati from the Indo-Greek Kingdoms.[12] Maues has overstruck coins belonging to Archebius as well as Apollodotus II in Taxila.

The Sakas extend their power up to Mathura during his reign.[12]

Route of the Invasions

When precisely and under what circumstances Maues arrived in India is uncertain, but the expulsion of the Scythian (Saka/Sai) peoples from Central Asia is referred to in the

Han Shu, where the cause given is their confrontation with the Ta Yüeh-chih, themselves undergoing an enforced migration. It is stated that "when the Ta Yüeh-chih turned west, defeated and expelled the king of the Sai, the latter moved south and crossed over the Suspended Crossing." That this route (from the Pamirs into the Gilgit valley) was used in Maues' time is confirmed by the discovery of inscriptions in the Chilas/Gilgit area bearing his name (Dani, 1983 and 1995, pp. 52, 55).[13]

Coins

Coin of Maues depicting Balarama, 1st century BCE. British Museum.
Kharoshthi
"Great king of kings, Maues".

Maues issued joint coins mentioning a queen Machene ("ΜΑΧΗΝΗ"). Machene may have been a daughter of one of the Indo-Greek houses.[14]

An Indo-Greek king,

Artemidoros
, also issued coins where he describes himself as "Son of Maues".

Buddhist Coins

A few of the coins of Maues, struck according to the Indian square standard, seemingly depict a King in a cross-legged seated position. This may represent Maues himself, or possibly one of his divinities. It has been suggested that this might also be one of the first representations of the

Buddha on a coin, in an area where Buddhism
was flourishing at the time, but the seated personage seems to hold a sword horizontally, which favors the hypotheses of the depiction of the king Maues himself.

Also, Maues struck some coins incorporating Buddhist symbolism, such as the lion, symbol of Buddhism since the time of the

.

The symbolism of the lion had also been adopted by the Buddhist Indo-Greek king Menander II. Maues therefore probably supported Buddhism, although whether sincerely or for political motives is unclear. His coins also included a variety of other religious symbols such as the bull of Shiva, indicating wide religious tolerance.

References

  1. ^ The Decline and Fall of the Hindus: The Book on India's Regeneration
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ a b Konow 1929, pp. xxix, 23-29, 45.
  4. ^ a b Konow 1929, pp. 30-49, PLATE VIII.
  5. ^ a b Thomas, F. W. (1907–1908). Hultzsch, E.; Konow, Sten (eds.). Epigraphia Indica. Vol. 9. Kolkata: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. pp. 135-147.
  6. ^ Gazerani 2015, p. 15.
  7. ^ The Grandeur of Gandhara, Rafi-us Samad, Algora Publishing, 2011, p.64-67 [1]
  8. ^ a b Harmatta 1999, p. 410.
  9. ^ Harmatta 1999, p. 412.
  10. ^ "Moga inscription". Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  11. ^ Harmatta 1999, p. 193.
  12. ^ .
  13. ^ "INDO-SCYTHIAN DYNASTY – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  14. ^ RC Senior "Indo-Scythian coins and history", Vol IV, p.xxxvi.

Sources

Preceded by
(In
Hermaeus
Indo-Scythian Ruler

(85–60 BCE)
Succeeded by
(In
Vonones
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