Darius I (522–486 BCE) reformed imperial coinage, issuing the gold Daric and silver Siglos. Bearing the running or kneeling archer-king, they are among the most iconic ancient coins.
Achaemenid coins are the gold darics and silver sigloi of the Persian empire (c. 515–330 BCE), struck mainly at Sardis and showing the Great King as a kneeling archer, with an irregular punch incuse instead of a designed reverse.
| Period | c. 515–330 BCE |
|---|---|
| Gold | Daric, ~8.4 g, 95–98% fine |
| Silver | Siglos, ~5.4–5.6 g |
| Exchange rate | 1 daric = 20 sigloi |
| Main mint | Sardis (Lydia) |
| Classification | Carradice types I–V |
Darius I created the first stable imperial bimetallic coinage: a gold daric of about 8.4 g at near-pure fineness, and a silver siglos of about 5.5 g, exchanging at twenty sigloi to the daric. The purity of the gold was famous in antiquity and is still measurable — most darics test between 95% and 98% gold.
Coinage was a western-provincial phenomenon. In the Iranian heartland weighed silver bullion remained normal, which is why darics and sigloi are found overwhelmingly in Anatolia, the Levant and Greece rather than in Fars.
Ian Carradice's five types remain the standard sequence. Type I shows a half-figure archer; Types II and III the kneeling-running archer with bow and spear; Type IV, by far the most common, adds a dagger; Type V is a late flattened style.
There is no reverse design — only an oblong incuse left by the punch. The shape of that incuse, the archer's beard and the treatment of the quiver are the practical criteria for placing a coin within the sequence.
Alongside the imperial issues, satraps and subject cities struck their own silver: Mazaios at Babylon and Tarsus, the Phoenician mints of Sidon and Tyre with their galley types, Samaria's small silver, and the Frataraka of Persis who revived Achaemenid imagery after Alexander. These provincial coinages are where most of the variety — and most of the affordable material — sits.
Genuine darics feel heavy for their size with soft buttery surfaces; cast fakes are underweight and show a tooled, too-regular incuse. Sigloi are frequently found with banker's punch marks, which are evidence of ancient circulation rather than damage. For gold at market prices, insist on third-party attribution and a stated Carradice type.
Darius the Great standardised a bimetallic system: the gold Daric (~8.4 g, ~95% pure) and the silver Siglos (~5.4 g). One Daric equaled 20 Sigloi.
The famous archer-king types evolved through five canonical groups (Type I–V) recognised by Carradice. Most were struck at Sardis for Anatolian provinces; satrapal mints produced regional issues.
Satrapal coinage — issued by governors such as Tissaphernes, Pharnabazos and Mazaios — adopted Greek styles while retaining Persian iconography.
Darius I to Darius III
ObverseBearded king in kidaris crown, kneeling-running right, holding spear and bow.
ReverseIrregular oblong incuse punch.
The Greeks called them 'archers' — Agesilaus famously said he was 'driven out of Asia by 10,000 archers'.
Xerxes I – Artaxerxes II
ObverseKing with bow and dagger, transitional kneeling pose.
ReverseRough incuse.
20 Sigloi = 1 Daric. Hundreds of thousands survive — the most common Achaemenid coin.
Achaemenid satrap (probably Tiribazos)
ObverseBearded satrap in Persian tiara.
ReverseGreek-style figure, mint inscription.
Among the earliest realistic portraits in Western coinage.
Darius III / Alexander era
ObverseArcher-king right, deep relief.
ReversePlain or letter monogram.
Continuation of Persian types under Macedonian rule for paying mercenaries.
Mazaios, Satrap of Babylon
ObverseBa'al of Tarsos enthroned, holding sceptre and eagle.
ReverseLion walking left above a city wall — symbol of Babylon.
Struck by Mazaios, the Achaemenid satrap who surrendered Babylon to Alexander in 331 BCE and was confirmed as governor. His coinage is a hinge moment: Achaemenid satrapal iconography continued unchanged into the early Macedonian administration.
Local Achaemenid governors
ObverseMiniature Persian king or bearded satrap.
ReverseLion attacking bull, owl, or local deity.
Tiny silver fractions struck by Achaemenid-appointed governors of the Levantine coast — blending Persian, Greek and Phoenician iconography. Image: closely related satrapal type.
Abd'ashtart I / Straton I of Sidon
ObversePhoenician war galley before crenellated city walls.
ReversePersian Great King in chariot driven by charioteer; king of Sidon walking behind.
The most explicit numismatic image of Achaemenid imperial overlordship — the Phoenician vassal king literally walks behind the Persian Great King's chariot.