Mehama (Bactrian: Meyam, Brahmi: 
Me-ha-ma), ruled c.461-493, was a king of Alchon Huns dynasty. He is little known, but the Talagan copper scroll mentions him as an active ruler making a donation to a Buddhist stupa in 492/93.[1][2] At that time, it is considered that the Alchon Huns were firmly in charge of the Buddhist region around Taxila, but had not yet started to conquer the Indian mainland.
| Mehama | |
|---|---|
| Ruler of the Alchon Huns | |
 Portrait of king Mehama, with his name in Brahmi script Me-ha-ma, and Alchon tamgha 
Approximate location of Mehama's territory | |
| Reign | 461-493 |
| Successor | Lakhana Udayaditya |
| Died | 493 |
Mehama is named Maha Shahi Mehama (Great Lord Mehama) in the Talagan copper scroll.[3]
Mehama appears in a letter in the Bactrian language he wrote in 461-462 CE.[3] The letter comes from the archives of the Kingdom of Rob, located in southern Bactria. In this letter he presents himself as:
Meyam, King of the people of Kadag, the governor of the famous and prosperous King of Kings Peroz[3]
Kadag is Kadagstan, an area in southern Bactria, in the region of Baghlan. Significantly, he presents himself as a vassal of the Sasanian Empire king Peroz I.[3][4]
Mehama (r.461-493) allied with Sasanian king Peroz I (459-484) in his victory over the Kidarites in 466 CE, and may also have helped him take the throne against his brother Hormizd III.[5]
It is thought that Mehama, after being elevated to the position of Governor for Peroz, was later able to wrestle autonomy or even independence.[5]
-
Coin of Mehama, with portrait and fire altar with attendants on the reverse, in the style of Sasanian coinage. -
-
Bactrian language letter from "Meyam, King of the people of Kadag", dated to 461-462 CE.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Gudrun Melzer; Lore Sander (2006). Jens Braarvig (ed.). A Copper Scroll Inscription from the Time of the Alchon Huns. Buddhist manuscripts. Vol. 3. Hermes Pub. pp. 251–278.
together with the great Íahi Khiãgila, together with the god-king Toramana, together with the mistress of a great monastery Sasa, together with the great sahi Mehama, together with Sadavikha, together with the great king Javukha, the son of Sadavikha, during the reign of Mehama.
- ^ For an image of the copper scroll: Coin Cabinet of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna Showcase 8
- ^ a b c d Rezakhani, Khodadad (2017). ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity. Edinburgh University Press. p. 118. ISBN 9781474400305.
- ^ "ALKHAN: Contemporaries of Khingila | Digitaler Ausstellungskatalog". pro.geo.univie.ac.at. Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
- ^ a b Rezakhani, Khodadad (2017). ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 120–122. ISBN 9781474400305.
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