Nomos 20

PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. Time of Artaxerxes II to Darios III, circa 375-336 BC. Daric (Gold, 13 x 16 mm, 8.36 g), struck for use in Asia Minor and the West, Sardes. Persian king moving to right, crowned, wearing robes and in the running-kneeling position, with quiver over his shoulder, holding transverse spear ending in a ball in his right hand and bow in his left. Rev. Oblong irregular incuse. BMC Arabia pl. XXV, 24. Carradice Type IIIb Late (pl. XV, 50-1). Bold and clear. Struck from a somewhat worn obverse die, otherwise, about extremely fine.

Ex Nomos 18, 5 May 2019, 177 (unpaid).

Struck from the same reverse punch as Triton XXI, 2018, 530. The gold darics and silver sigloi of the Persians were almost all produced in Asia Minor as money for the coin using population of the areas bordering the eastern Mediterranean. While some certainly did travel to the Persian heartland, most were used for interactions with the Greeks. In fact, these coins were so commonly in Greek use that they were given the nickname, toxótai - archers; they also appear in Greek treasury and donative inscriptions of the 5th and 4th centuries BC.