2,000 Year Old Journey of the Magi / Azes II SILVER Drachm, NGC Certified

2,000 Year Old Journey of the Magi / Azes II SILVER Drachm, NGC Certified. Journey of the Magi / Azes II silver, NGC Certified(MG). Magi is a Latin word deriving from an Old Persian term for the Zoroastrian priestly caste; the English word magic derives from it. It is likely that the Magi were astrologers, highly regarded in that era.

Scholars now believe the Magi were representatives of the Indo-Scythian ruler Azes, king of Bactria, in Central Asia, from 35 BC to AD 5-the time of Christ's birth. Little is known of the great king; we are not sure if he is properly Azes I or Azes II.

This remarkably well-preserved, 2000-year-old silver drachm depicts the king on horseback and shows a standing figure of Zeus on the reverse. The obverse is written in Greek, and the reverse is in Indian script, making his coinage among the earliest bilingual coins.