Antiochus Nicator, the Third King of Bactria?

The kingdom of Bactria became independent from the Seleucid Empire in c.250 BC. Its first kings were Diodotus I and II. The coins traditionally attributed to these two kings bear the legend 'of king Diodotus' or 'of king Antiochus'. The latter have generally been interpreted as the first issues of Diodotus I, before he made himself entirely independent. An alternative would be that a third member of the dynasty, by the name of Antiochus, struck these coins. This king would be identical with the 'Antiochus Nicator' commemorated by the later Bactrian king Agathocles. The author criticises the established interpretation, and tentatively attempts to show that the numismatic analyses of F.L. Holt can be rearranged to accommodate the existence of a king Antiochus Nicator. jens.jakobsson@pub.malmo.se