Editing Menander II (section)

==Relations to other kings==
Menander II may have belonged to the dynasty of Menander I Soter, the greatest of the Indo-Greek kings. It was long believed that there was only one king named Menander (see discussion under [[Menander I]]) as their portraits were rather similar and Menander II seems to have been a devout [[Greco-Buddhism|Buddhist]], just as Menander I was, according to the ancient Buddhist scripture the [[Milindapanha]].

On the other hand, the name Menander could well have been popular in the Indo-Greek kingdom, and the coins of Menander II are not very like those of Menander I nor of those other kings (such as [[Strato I]]) who are believed to have belonged to his dynasty. R. C. Senior links Menander II with the Indo-Greek king Amyntas, with whom he shares several monograms and also facial features such as a pointed nose and receding chin. He also suggests a close relation to the semi-Scythian king [[Artemidoros|Artemidorus]], son of Maues, since their coins use similar types and are often found together.

There is a small possibility that Menander II, rather than [[Menander I]], is actually the Buddhist Greek king referred to in the [[Milinda Panha]]. This point is unsolved however, since Greek sources (Plutarch (Praec. reip. ger. 28, 6)) relate that the great conqueror Menander I is the one who received the honour of burial in what could be interpreted as Buddhist stupas.

More likely, Menander I may indeed have first supported Buddhism, like the other Indo-Greek kings, and was probably the protagonist of the Milindapanha, on account of his described fame, whereas Menander II, a minor king, may have wholeheartedly embraced Buddhism, as exemplified by his coins.