The Greeks in Bactria and India c10.s2.208

c10.s2.208

Apollodotus on his appointment must have returned to the north and fixed his seat at Pushkalāvatī or Taxila, probably the latter; presumably he governed the southern provinces through *strategoi* (p. 241). There is indeed an obscure Greek king Theophilus, whose coins are very rare indeed,⁶ and whose name might suggest ‘King Theophila’ (cf. p. 150); but the square theta in his coin-legend shows that he is much later, and Theophilus is far too common a Greek name for any connection with Theophila to be postulated. What seems fairly certain is that, though the coastal provinces south of Patalene remained Greek, Apollodotus’ inland conquests, including Ujjain, were soon lost, for Pushyamitra subsequently appears as ruler of Ujjain and Avanti generally;¹ whether he reconquered them when Apollodotus went north, or whether like Pāṭaliputra they were abandoned when Eucratides came, cannot be said; the latter alternative seems more probable, and would give time enough for Pushyamitra’s rule there. They do not appear in the province-list in Ptolemy, but as we only possess fragments of that list that means nothing.