Analysis of Reasoning in Archaeology: the Case of the Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Numismatics

Following the conquests of Alexander The Great, Greek kingdoms were established in Bactria and India between the third and first century B.C. These Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms, as they are called, are mainly known to us through their numerous coins.In the present volume, the author examines how numismatists have described and classified these coins and how historians have reconstructed the history of these kingdoms from the numismatists’ catalogues. The theoretical framework of this study is ‘logicist analysis’ as propounded by J.-C. Gardin.

This book is intended not only for the specialist of the Graeco-Bactrians and Indo-Greeks but also for all those interested in the nature and validity of the modes of reasoning in history and social sciences.