Siglos - Artaxerxes I / Darius II THE ROYAL COINAGE - 4th type A - early

The "4th type A early" designation places this siglos within the transitional phase of royal coinage attributed to the reigns of Artaxerxes I and Darius II — a period bookended by the Athenian-backed revolt of Egypt and the political turbulence following Artaxerxes I's death in 424 BC, when three kings held the throne within a single year before Darius II consolidated power. Persian sigloi of this era circulated extensively in Anatolia and the Levant, where they served as payment for Greek mercenaries — the same soldiers whose employers would eventually turn against Achaemenid interests entirely.