Azes I vs Maurice

Azes I led Indo-Scythian forces to conquer the Indus Valley region from the Indo-Greeks. This established Indo-Scythian rule over a large territory in northwestern India and initiated the Azes era calendar system.

Azes I established a new calendar era, later known as the Azes era, beginning in 58 BC. This calendar system was used for centuries in the Indian subcontinent for dating inscriptions and coins.

Azes I issued silver drachm coins bearing his portrait and Greek legends on the obverse, and a seated Zeus on the reverse. These coins became a standard currency across his kingdom and influenced later coinage.

Upon the death of Tiberius II, Maurice, a successful general who had married Tiberius's daughter, was proclaimed emperor. His accession marked the beginning of a reign focused on military and administrative reform.

Maurice reorganized the administration of the empire's remaining territories in Italy and Africa by creating the Exarchates of Ravenna and Carthage. These military-civilian districts concentrated authority in the hands of an exarch to better defend against external threats.

Maurice helped the deposed Sassanid prince Khosrow II regain his throne. In return, Khosrow ceded large territories in Armenia and Mesopotamia to the Byzantines, ending a long and costly war on favorable terms.

A mutiny by the Danube army, led by the centurion Phocas, marched on Constantinople. Maurice was forced to flee but was captured and executed along with his sons. His death plunged the empire into a destructive civil war.