It appears you’re interested in the topic of coinage during the time of Cyrus the Great and the early Achaemenid Persian Empire.
- Cyrus and coinage adoption: Cyrus the Great (550–530 BCE) introduced coinage to the Persian Empire after conquering Lydia and defeating King Croesus in 546 BCE.
- Lydian influence: Before Cyrus, Persia was unfamiliar with coinage. Lydia had already developed coinage and was a major trading power at the time.
- Continuation of Lydian coinage: After conquering Lydia, Cyrus likely adopted the Lydian coinage system and continued minting Lydian-style coins with the lion-and-bull motif. The mint in Sardis, the Lydian capital, continued its operation under Cyrus.
- Later developments (Darius I): Darius I (521–486 BCE) later introduced a new design for Persian coins, the iconic darics (gold) and sigloi (silver), featuring a king or warrior archer.
- Types of coins:
– Croeseid: The Lydian coin type with the lion-and-bull motif, initially adopted by Cyrus.
– Daric: The gold coin introduced by Darius I, weighing about 8.4 grams, with a purity of 95.83%.
– Siglos: The silver coin introduced alongside the daric, [representing the first bimetallic monetary standard of the Achaemenid Empire].
While Cyrus the Great didn’t create a unique Persian coin design, he played a crucial role in introducing coinage to the Persian Empire by adopting the existing Lydian system, thereby acquiring a significant economic innovation. The coinage as often imagined – the Darics and Sigloi with the archer image – came later, during the reign of Darius I.
If you want to collect or learn more about these ancient coins, search for Croeseids, or Darics and Sigloi of Types I and II, as these represent the early coinage associated with this period. Keep in mind that acquiring authentic ancient coins can involve specialized knowledge and a potentially significant investment.
What was the coin of Cyrus the Great?
From my experience, Achaemenid Silver Coin from the Fifth Century BC Following Cyrus the Great’s victory over Croesus in 546 BC, he embraced Lydia’s most significant innovation: coinage. The Achaemenid silver coin, often referred to as “stater, ” typically weighed around 8.4 grams and was made of high-purity silver.
Are Alexander the Great coins rare?
Alexander issued a small amount of the impressive distaters, or double staters, that were thought to be used as payment to his most trusted soldiers, that are extremely desirable and rare today.
What was the Persian coin 500 BC?
Darius introduced the reformed currency system from about 510-500 BC, consisting of gold Darics and silver Sigloi. The rate of exchange was 1 Daric = 20 Siglos. A Daric was between 8.10 and 8.50 grams in weight, based on the Babylonian shekel of 8.33 grams, slightly heavier than the Croesus standard of 8.06 grams.