Editing Menander I (section)

==Menander's death==
Buddhist tradition holds that he was succeeded his son and retired.<ref name=":0" /> Though[[Plutarch]] reports that Menander died in camp while on campaign, thereby differing with the version of the ''Milinda Panha''. Plutarch gives Menander as an example of benevolent rule, contrasting him with disliked tyrants such as [[Dionysius I of Syracuse|Dionysius]], and goes on to explain that his subject towns fought over the honour of his burial, ultimately sharing his ashes among them and placing them in "monuments" (possibly [[stupa]]s), in a manner reminiscent of the funerals of the Buddha. This has been taken as an evidence of his conversion to Buddhism, though modern scholars doubt Plutarch’s account and he may have actually confused Menander’s death with the account of the Buddha.<ref>A passage in the "Mahā-parinibbâna sutta" of the "[[Dighanikaya]]" relates the dispute of Indian kings over the ashes of the Buddha, which they finally shared between themselves and enshrined in a series of stupas.</ref>

{{quote|But when one Menander, who had reigned graciously over the Bactrians, died afterwards in the camp, the cities indeed by common consent celebrated his funerals; but coming to a contest about his relics, they were difficultly at last brought to this agreement, that his ashes being distributed, everyone should carry away an equal share, and they should all erect monuments to him.|Plutarch|[[Moralia]]: Praecepta gerendae reipublicae<ref>{{in lang|el}} {{cite book|title=Moralia: Praecepta gerendae reipublicae|chapter=821d|chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0332%3Astephpage%3D821d|language=el|editor-first=Gregorius N.|editor-last=Bernardakis|place=[[Leipzig]]|publisher=[[Teubner]]|year=1893}}<br />{{cite book|chapter=28, 6|chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0333%3Asection%3D28|editor-first=Harold North|editor-last=Fowler|year=1936|title = Plutarch, Praecepta gerendae reipublicae, section 28}} {{cite book|chapter=28, 6|chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0334%3Asection%3D28|editor-first=William W.|editor-last=Goodwin|year=1874|title = Plutarch, Praecepta gerendae reipublicae, section 28}} At the [[Perseus Project]].</ref>}}

Despite his many successes, Menander's last years may have been fraught with another civil war, this time against [[Zoilos I]] who reigned in Gandhara. This is indicated by the fact that Menander probably overstruck a coin of Zoilos.

The Milinda Panha might give some support to the idea that Menander's position was precarious, since it describes him as being somewhat cornered by numerous enemies into a circumscribed territory:

[[File:Coin of Agathokleia & Strato.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Coin of Strato I and Agathokleia.<br />'''Obv:''' Conjugate busts of Strato and Agathokleia. Greek legend: BASILEOS SOTEROS STRATONOS KAI AGATOKLEIAS "Of King Strato the Saviour and Agathokleia".<br />'''Rev:''' [[Athena]] throwing thunderbolt. [[Kharoshthi]] legend: MAHARAJASA TRATASARA DHARMIKASA STRATASA "King Strato, Saviour and Just (="of the Dharma")".]]

{{quote|After their long discussion Nagasaka asked himself "though king Milinda is pleased, he gives no signs of being pleased". Menander says in reply: "As a lion, the king of beasts, when put in a cage, though it were of gold, is still facing outside, even so, do I live as the master in the house but remain facing outside. But if I were to go forth from home into homelessness I would not live long, so many are my enemies".|Quoted in Bopearachchi|[[Milinda Panha]], Book III, Chapter 7{{sfn|Bopearachchi|1991|page=33}}}}

===Theories of Menander's successors===
Menander was the last Indo-Greek king mentioned by ancient historians, and developments after his death are therefore difficult to trace.

'''a)''' The traditional view, supported by W.W. Tarn and Bopearachchi, is that Menander was succeeded by his queen Agathoclea, who acted as regent to their infant son [[Strato I]] until he became an adult and took over the crown. Strato I used the same reverse as Menander I, Athena hurling a thunderbolt, and also the title Soter.

According to this scenario, Agathoclea and Strato I only managed to maintain themselves in the eastern parts of the kingdom, Punjab, and at times [[Gandhara]]. [[Paropamisadae]] and [[Pushkalavati]] were taken over by [[Zoilos I]], perhaps because some of Agathokleia's subjects may have been reluctant to accept an infant king with a queen regent.

'''b)''' On the other hand, R.C. Senior and other numismatics such as David Bivar have suggested that Strato I ruled several decades after Menander: they point out that Strato's and Agathoclea's monograms are usually different from Menander's, and overstrikes and hoard findings also associate them with later kings.

In this scenario, Menander was briefly succeeded by his son [[Thrason]], of whom a single coin is known. After Thrason was murdered, competing kings such as [[Zoilos I]] or [[King Lysias|Lysias]] may have taken over Menander's kingdom. Menander's dynasty was thus dethroned and did not return to power until later, though his relative [[King Niciuas|Nicias]] may have ruled a small principality in the Kabul valley.

For the family tree that illustrates these relationships, see Family tree of the Indo-Greek kings (see the  Menanderid dynasty).