Editing Sapadbizes

{{short description|Late 1st century BC ruler of western Bactria}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
[[File:Coin of Sapadbizes.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Coin of the first identifiable Yuezhi prince, Sapadbizes (c. 20-1 BC).<br>
'''Obv:''' Bust of Sapadbizes. Greek legend ϹΑΠΑΔΒΙΖΗϹ "Sapadbizes".<br>
'''Rev:''' Lion with Greek legend ΝΑΝΑΙΑ repeated left and right (Moon goddess). Tamgha of hill & crescent. [[Qunduz]] mint, in [[Afghanistan]].]]
'''Sapadbizes''' (Σαπαδβιζης), also '''Sapalbizes''' or ''' Sapaleizis''', was a ruler of western [[Bactria]], sometimes linked to the [[Yuezhi]].<ref name="VIS"/> He is known only from his coins, which are rather rare, and are dated to circa 20 BC - 20 AD.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Michon |first1=Daniel |title=Archaeology and Religion in Early Northwest India: History, Theory, Practice |date=12 August 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-32458-4 |pages=123–124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nb9cCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA124 |language=en}}</ref> Two clues provide an approximate date for this ruler. He is believed to have overstruck the coins of [[Phraates IV]] of [[Parthia]], secondly his coins are of good silver. This places him after Phraates IV (40 BC) and before the debasement of coinage in Northwest [[India]] (AD 20). He is not the only ruler of his dynasty known. Several other coins imply that Sapadbizes was preceded by at least one, and possibly two other rulers. It is likely that Sapadbizes and these other rulers were descendants of tribes who had invaded [[Bactria]] and imitated the coins of the last [[Greco-Bactrian]] kings. Though it is clear from the coins, and the evidence of Chinese chroniclers that at this time Sapadbizes was an ally or dependent of [[Parthia]], nothing is known of the succession after Sapadbizes. However, scholars surmise that his kingdom was conquered by [[Kujula Kadphises]], during the latter's war with Parthia, and absorbed into the [[Kushan Empire]], probably about the year 30 AD.

A coin of Sapadbizes was discovered in the burial site of [[Tillya Tepe]].<ref name="VIS">" Coins found in the graves include an aureus of the emperor Tiberius (16-21 A.C.), a gold minted coin which appears to be a local imitation of a Parthian coin (first half of the first century B.C.), a gold coin of undetermined Indian origin, a silver coin of Mithradates II (123-88 B.C.) and finally a Parthian silver coin of Phraates IV with the legend Sapaleizis, who is considered to be one of the Yueh-chih rulers. " in {{cite journal |last1=Sarianidi |first1=V. I. |title=The Treasure of Golden Hill |journal=American Journal of Archaeology |date=1980 |volume=84 |issue=2 |page=130 |doi=10.2307/504260 |jstor=504260 |s2cid=192970421 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/504260 |issn=0002-9114|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.coinindia.com/galleries-sapalbizes.html More coins of Sapalbizes (Sapadbizes)]

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=Unknown [[Yuezhi]] rulers)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Yuezhi|Yuezhi Ruler]]|years=20 – 1 BCE}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Heraios]]<br/>(as [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] King)}}
{{s-end}}

[[Category:Yuezhi monarchs]]
[[Category:1st-century monarchs in Asia]]

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