Editing Menander I (section)

==Menander the Just==
[[File:Menander II with nimbate Nike.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Coin of [[Menander II]]. Greek legend: {{lang|grc|ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΥ}}, "Of King Menander, the Just".]]
[[File:Menander I and Menander II.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Comparison of the portraits of Menander I (left) and [[Menander II]] (right).]]

A king named Menander with the epithet ''Dikaios'', "the Just", ruled in Punjab after 100 BC. Earlier scholars, such as [[Alexander Cunningham|A. Cunningham]] and [[William Woodthorpe Tarn|W. W. Tarn]], believed there was only one Menander, and assumed that the king had changed his epithet and/or was expelled from his western dominions. A number of coincidences led them to this assumption:
* The portraits are relatively similar, and Menander II usually looks older than Menander I.<ref name=":1" />
* The coins of Menander II feature several Buddhist symbols, which were interpreted as proof of the conversion mentioned in the ''Milinda Panha''.
* The epithet ''Dikaios'' of Menander II was translated into Kharosthi as ''Dharmikasa'' or ''Dharmamitra'' on the reverse of his coins, which means "follower of the [[Dharma (Buddhism)|Dharma]]" and was interpreted likewise (taken as Menander's conversion to Buddhism).<ref name=":1" />

However, modern numismatists such as Bopearachchi and R.C. Senior have shown, by differences in coin findings, style, and monograms, that there were two distinct rulers. The second Menander could have been a descendant of the first, and his Buddhist symbols may have been a means of alluding to his ancestor's conversion. However, Menander I struck a rare bronze series with a Buddhist wheel (coin 3).{{cn|date=March 2023}}