Greek PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. temp. Xerxes I to Darios II. /iCirca 485-420 BC. AV Daric (15mm, 8.31 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Sardes mint. Persian king or hero, wearing kidaris/i and kandys/i, quiver over shoulder, in kneeling-running stance right, holding spear and bow / Incuse punch. Carradice Type IIIb, Group A/B (pl. XIII, 27); Meadows, Administration/i 321; BMC Arabia pl. XXIV, 26; Sunrise 24. Edge scuff. Superb EF. Ex MACM inventory MMoCA1C; Patrick H. C. Tan Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 84, 5 May 2010), lot 748./iThe Achaemenid series began in the late sixth century BC, deriving from the famous Kroiseid coinage, and lasted until the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great in the 330s BC. The term “daric” dates from the fifth century BC, and was used by the Greeks as a term for Persian coinage, particularly the gold (see Herodotos 7.28). Its name derives from that of the Persian king Darios I, under whom the Persian coinage began. Ian Carradice’s study, “The ‘Regal’ Coinage of the Persian Empire” in: Coinage and Administration in the Athenian and Persian Empires/i (BAR International Series 343 [Oxford. 1987]) forms the modern basis for our understanding of this interesting coinage. !--Gold--
