Indo- Parthians Revisiting the early history

Several Terracotta tiles and sculptures found from various archaeological sites of Kashmir are considered as good representations of Indo-Parthian and Kushan art. These tiles combine Greek and Persian influences, with frontal representations considered as characteristic of Parthian and Kushan art. Such tiles have only been found in archaeological layers corresponding to Indo-Scythian, Indo-Parthian and Kushan periods. The motifs and human busts depicted on these tiles represent people in Greek dress in mythological scenes, but a few of them represent people in Parthian dress and as Parthian horse riders.

Parthians as mentioned in the rare historical records had earlier emerged from Parthia towards the neighborhood of Bactria, the modern day Blakh province of Afghanistan. They are said also moved towards south of Hindukush and drove Scythian out of Bactria in 126 BC. After consolidating their Parthian Kingdom of Bactria they left for an expedition to south west Afghanistan and annexed it with their kingdom. Gondophares, a Parthian governor was appointed viceroy of the then newly created province of southwest Afghanistan.

Gondophares

Gondphares is later known to have disbanded his ties with Parthian kingdom of Bactria and declared his own authority over the province. He founded a new dynasty known to the historians as Indo-Parthian empire, which he created at the cost of Indo-Scythian and Indo-Greek empires.

Gondophares declaration has been deciphered in a Kharoshti stone inscription recovered way back from the Takht-i-Bhai city of, Pakistan (the inscription these days is preserved in Punjab museum at Lahore). The inscription bears a date which scholars have been interpreting as 120B.C.

Gondophares is recorded to have divided his kingdom into two provinces where he appointed his own viceroys. Abdagases, Aspavanna and Zeionses were his famous viceroys. Archaeological, numismatic and epigraphic evidences of these Parthian viceroys have been discovered from several cities of North West India and Pakistan.

Although the Kashmir chapter of the Indo-Parthians, like Indo-Scythians, has also remained unexplored and there is very little information available on Indo-Parthians in its historical records. Their numismatic and archaeological evidences have also come up from Jammu and Kashmir.

Indo-Parthian coins reportedly were found somewhere from Jammu region that carried coins of Gondophares with sub name of his viceroy. Coins of Zeionses have been also found from northern and southern parts of Kashmir. Few of his coins are preserved in the SPS museum at Srinagar. The Parthian motif, king on horseback has been also encountered on one of the terracotta tiles found at Harwan Srinagar.

 It is mainly on the basis of numismatic and archaeological finds few scholars opine that the Indo Parthian empire extended from Gandhara up to Kashmir. Besides the numismatic evidences, there are also found several places which carried Parthian names. There are several ancient villages, which are either prefixed or suffixed with the word Gound, as, Gound, Goundbal, Goundupur, Goundchhal, Bata Gund, Bogund etc. There is a village in north Kashmir, which still carries the corrupt form of the name of Gondphares, and is pronounced as Zandhupharen.

Indo-Parthian Coins

Indo-Parthian, in their coins, followed the Greek and Scythian numismatic traditions. They also issued bi-metallic and bilingual coins and depicted their own motifs. But during their period it looks silver coins had lost purity and had become base metal coins. They also continued to mint coins in the same metal and did not attempt to restore its purity. They issued several coin types but their Nike and horseman type coin had become very popular coin type. In this coin type they displayed king on horseback, in the similar fashion of Indo Scythian coins and on reverse they displayed the Greek and Indian deities in various forms. They issued bust and animal type coins as well. Their bust type coins, depicted half portrait of the king and the bull/ camel type coins depict Bactrian camel and Indian bull. Such coins are also known from various mints. The bull / camel type coins in copper are also known from Kashmir and these coins are attributed to king Zeionses.

The coins of indo-Parthian satraps are also recorded to have been found in Jammu and Kashmir and are recorded in the numismatic collections of Jammu and Kashmir. The SPS museum Srinagar also records several coins of Gondaphares and Zieonses.

Zeioneses

Although there is no mention of the Indo-Parthians in local mainstream history literature but the numismatic and archaeological evidences encountered from time to time have been inviting the attention of modern scholars and researchers to revisit the local historiography. There is a need to separate myth from the genuine sources and reconstruct the missing periods of our early history.

The writer is a Senior Archaeologist.