# Strato II

Strato II Soter (Ancient Greek: Στράτων B΄ ὁ Σωτήρ, Strátōn B΄ ho Sotḗr; epithet means "the Saviour") also known as Stratha, was an Indo-Greek king. He ruled c. 25 BCE to 10 CE according to Bopearachchi. R. C. Senior suggests that his reign ended perhaps a decade earlier. He may have been supplanted by the Indo-Scythian Northern Satraps, particularly Rajuvula and Bhadayasa, whose coins were often copied on those of the last Indo-Greek kings. Numerous coins of Rajuvula have been found in company with the coins of the Strato group in the Eastern Punjab (to the east of the Jhelum) and also in the Mathura area: for example, 96 coins of Strato II were found in Mathura in conjunction with coins of Rajuvula, who also imitated the designs of Strato II in the majority of his issues.

## Rule

Strato II ruled in the eastern Punjab, probably retaining the capital of Sagala (modern Sialkot, Pakistan), or possibly to the city of Bucephala (Plutarch, p. 48 n. 5).
His territory was invaded by Rajuvula, Indo-Scythian king of Mathura, and he became the last of the Indo-Greek kings, together with his son Strato III "Philopator" ("the father-loving"), who was included as joint regent on some of his coins and also issued coins on his own.
A few silver coins with a different portrait and the inscription Strato Soter Dikaios ("the just") may also belong to Strato III as sole ruler, or to a fourth king named Strato.
Just like the earlier king Strato I, the last Stratos are thought to belong to the dynasty of Menander I, who also used the epithet Soter and the symbol of standing Pallas Athena.

## Coins of Strato II, III and Strato Dikaios

The chronology of the late Indo-Greek kingdom has been established by Bopearachchi and other scholars from numismatical evidence alone. The coins deteriorated continuously, the Strato coins being the most debased and crude in style, a striking contrast to earlier kings who struck some of the most beautiful coins of antiquity.
The decay was due to the increasing pressure of the Indo-Scythian nomads on the remaining Greek pockets, as well as their long isolation from the rest of the Hellenistic world.
Strato II and III used exclusively a single "boxy" mint-mark, which they had in common with late Indo-Greek kings such as Apollophanes and was initiated by Dionysios Soter.
Strato II, Strato III and Strato Dikaios struck debased silver drachms, which as mentioned portray Pallas on the reverse. Strato II appears as an old man with a sunken jaw on some of his coins, which is not surprising given that his grandson was co-regent.
Strato II also issued bronzes and even lead coins of the common type Apollo/tripod. On some of Strato II's silver drachms the letter sigma is written as C (a lunate sigma), a not uncommon trait on late Hellenistic coins in the east.

## Imitations by Indo-Scythian rulers

Subsequent Indo-Scythian rulers, who replaced the Stratos in their territories, designed their coins in direct imitation of those of Strato II. This is the case of the Northern Satraps, who ruled in the territories from Sagala in Eastern Punjab to Mathura, such as Rajuvula, Bhadayasa. Just as the Yuezhi had copied the coins of the last Greco-Bactrian ruler Heliocles in Bactria, or the Indo-Scythians had copied the coins of the last western Indo-Greek ruler Hermaios in the area of Kabul, here again the Indo-Scythian Northern Satraps relied heavily on the numismatics of their predecessors. The fact that powerful new rulers such as Rajuvula extensively adopted these coin designs tends to suggest that Strato II had been quite a significant ruler in his eyes.
vteGreco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings, territories and chronology :
Based on Bopearachchi (1991) :
Greco-Bactrian kings
Indo-Greek kings
Territories/ datesWest BactriaEast BactriaParopamisade ArachosiaGandharaWestern PunjabEastern PunjabMathura
326-325 BCE
Campaigns of Alexander the Great in India
Nanda Empire
312 BCE
Creation of the Seleucid Empire
Creation of the Maurya Empire
305 BCE
Seleucid Empire after Mauryan war
Maurya Empire
280 BCE
Foundation of Ai-Khanoum
255–239 BCE
Independence of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom Diodotus I
Emperor Ashoka (268-232 BCE)
239–223 BCE
Diodotus II
230–200 BCE
Euthydemus I
200–190 BCE
Demetrius I
Sunga Empire
190-185 BCE
Euthydemus II
190–180 BCE
Agathocles
Pantaleon
185–170 BCE
Antimachus I
180–160 BCE
Apollodotus I
175–170 BCE
Demetrius II
160–155 BCE
Antimachus II
170–145 BCE
Eucratides I
155–130 BCE
Yuezhi occupation, loss of Ai-Khanoum
Eucratides II Plato Heliocles I
Menander I
130–120 BCE
Yuezhi occupation
Zoilus I
Agathoclea
Yavanarajya inscription
120–110 BCE
Lysias
Strato I
110–100 BCE
Antialcidas
Heliocles II
100 BCE
Polyxenus
Demetrius III
100–95 BCE
Philoxenus
95–90 BCE
Diomedes
Amyntas
Epander
90 BCE
Theophilus
Peucolaus
Thraso
90–85 BCE
Nicias
Menander II
Artemidorus
90–70 BCE
Hermaeus
Archebius
Yuezhi occupation
Maues (Indo-Scythian)
75–70 BCE
Vonones
Telephus
Apollodotus II
65–55 BCE
Spalirises
Hippostratus
Dionysius
55–35 BCE
Azes I (Indo-Scythians)
Zoilus II
55–35 BCE
Vijayamitra/ Azilises
Apollophanes
25 BCE – 10 CE
Gondophares
Zeionises
Kharahostes
Strato II Strato III
Gondophares (Indo-Parthian)
Rajuvula (Indo-Scythian)
Kujula Kadphises (Kushan Empire)
Bhadayasa (Indo-Scythian)
Sodasa (Indo-Scythian)
↑ O. Bopearachchi, "Monnaies gréco-bactriennes et indo-grecques, Catalogue raisonné", Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 1991, p.453
↑ Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2 April 2019). "History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE". BRILL – via Google Books. :