Moneta
Registered: August 2005
Location: Arizona USA
Posts: 2,346
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This famous type, with kneeling archer holding a bow and spear interpreted as a Great King, was struck during the long reign of the Persians (Circa 450-330 B.C.). This period of time means that the 'Great King' here could be Artaxerxes I to Darius III (defeated by Alexander III, The Great). The reverse is just a crude oblong punch. This is a rather nice example with two small countermarks, probably the signets of money changers.
This AR Siglos weighs 5.55 gm and is 11 mm in diameter. S4682. Lydo-Milesian standard. Sardes mint.
ACHAEMENID PERSIAN EMPIRE. Uncertain King PERSIA. Achaemenid Empire. Time of Darius I to Xerxes II. Circa 485-420 BC. BMC Arabia pl. XXV, 26. SNG Cop 281-283. Mint in western Asia Minor, Persian Great king, wearing kidaris and kandys, in kneeling-running position to right, holding transverse spear with round rear terminal in right hand and bow in left, quiver over shoulder. Reference is Ian Carradice, SNG, Type II - III.
In the Near East, money evolved independently, taking an entirely different trajectory. Around the same time that China was casting miniature tools in bronze, the kingdom of Lydia (located in modern Turkey) started striking coins in a natural alloy of silver and gold. Previously most transactions in the region had involved the exchange of bullion, which required weighing and assaying with every exchange. With the stater and its fractions “soon struck in pure gold or silver instead of alloyed electrum“ Lydia standardized monetary units while also certifying authenticity.
Lydia was defeated by the Achaemenid Empire in 547 BCE. Learning metallurgy and minting from their new subjects, the Achaemenid kings started to issue their own coinage in precious metals with one signal difference: In contrast to the lions and bulls gracing Lydian staters, the new sigloi portrayed the monarch, depicting him as a kneeling archer with drawn bow. Wherever the Achaemenid currency spread, it carried an implicit threat of colonization. [NNP, Newman Numismatic Portal]
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