Double Daric - Temp. Mazaeus Babylon Satrapy - Alexandrine Empire

Mazaeus governed Babylon under Artaxerxes III and Darius III before surrendering the city to Alexander in 331 BC without resistance — a pragmatic defection that earned him the remarkable distinction of being reappointed satrap under Macedonian rule. These double darics were struck during that transitional administration, when Persian weight standards and gold coinage continued under a governor who had simply changed employers. The type reflects an institutional continuity Alexander found useful: maintaining familiar coinage helped stabilize a population unnerved by conquest.

Mazaeus died in office around 328 BC, making this a short-lived issue from a politically singular moment.