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Siglos - Xerxes I / Darius II THE ROYAL COINAGE - 3rd type B - early
| Issuer | Achaemenid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 485 BC - 420 BC |
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| Currency | Daric (521 BC-330 BC) |
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| Obverse description | The Great King depicted in the Persian royal running or kneeling posture, facing right, bearded and crowned, wearing the characteristic Persian kandys robe. A quiver is visible at his back; he holds a spear upright in his right hand and extends a strung bow in his left. The figure is rendered in the archaic Achaemenid court style, with the king's profile occupying the majority of the flan. Countermarks may be present in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An irregular oblong incuse punch dominates the reverse, characteristic of the hammered technique used in Achaemenid royal coinage. The incuse is deeply struck and of rough, uneven form, reflecting the hand-struck production method of the Persian royal mint. The surface within the incuse is plain and undecorated. Countermarks may occasionally be present. |
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| Additional information |
The Persian siglos was never a prestige coin — it was a payroll instrument, used overwhelmingly to compensate Greek mercenaries and Aegean tributaries rather than to circulate within the Persian heartland, where weighed silver and commodity exchange dominated. The attribution window spanning Xerxes I through Darius II covers one of the most turbulent stretches in Achaemenid history: the failed invasion of Greece, the burning of Athens, decades of satrapal revolts, and the slow hemorrhaging of Aegean territory to an ascendant Athens.
The 3rd type B classification reflects a die progression documented most rigorously by Carradice, whose 1987 study remains the foundational typology for royal Achaemenid coinage.