Euthydemus II: Greco-Bactrian King in the Euthydemid Dynasty

Introduction

Euthydemus II was a Greco-Bactrian king of the Euthydemid dynasty who ruled in Bactria in the 180s BCE, commonly dated c.185–180 BCE. He was a son of Demetrius I and appears in the sources as either a co-regent during his father’s reign or as his successor; his portrait on coins shows him as a juvenile, indicating that his authority was largely nominal and that he came to power at a young age.

His brief rule is primarily attested through coinage. Numismatic evidence connects his issues closely in style and in the use of rare copper-nickel alloys with those of the king Agathocles, and the Bactrian mint at Bactra produced nickel-bearing coins in this period. Contemporary accounts record trade and cultural contacts with the Han dynasty during his era. Euthydemus II’s reign ended after a short interval; sources describe his death in the later 180s BCE, with some chronologies extending to c.179–178 BCE, and other accounts name his brother Agathocles as his successor. Because the documentary record is limited, his rule is remembered chiefly for its juvenile royal portraiture, its numismatic innovations, and its placement at the close of the Euthydemid sequence in Greco-Bactria according to some reconstructions.