PERSIA Achaemenid Empire Gold Daric 485-420BC

PERSIA Achaemenid Empire Gold Daric 485-420BC

15mm, 8.31g

Persian king with quiver over shoulder and holding spear/ Incuse punch.

A pleasing example of a very early ancient gold coin.

The Achaemenid Empire existed between 550–330 BC and was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over major portions of Greater Persia (or Iran). It followed the Median Empire as the second great empire of the Iranian peoples. At its height, the Achaemenid Empire covered approximately 7.5 million square kilometers, making it the largest empire of classical antiquity.

The empire fought against the Greek city-states in the Greco-Persian Wars. Through it’s vast extent and longevity, Persian Empires have had a profound effect on language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law and governments worldwide to the present day.

The Persian gold daric, issued by Cyrus The Great after 546BC, together with a silver coin, the siglos, represented the bimetallic monetary standard of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.