List of Achemenid Persian Kings

Teispes of Anshan	7th Century		son of Achaemenes, King of Anshan
Cyrus I	Late 7th / early 6th Century		son of Teispes, King of Anshan
Cambyses I of Anshan	Early 6th Century	Mandana of Media	son of Cyrus I, King of Anshan
Cyrus II the Great	c.550-530	Cassandane of Persia	son of Cambyses I and Mandana – conquered Media 550 BCE King of Media, Babylonia, Lydia, Persia, Anshan, and Sumer. Created the Achaemenid Persian Empire.

Kings of Persia (529–359 BCE); Twenty-seventh dynasty of Egypt (525–399 BCE)

King	Reign (BCE)	Consort(s)	Comments
Cambyses II	529-522		son of Cyrus the Great and Cassandane. Conquered dynasty of Egypt.
Bardiya (Smerdis)	522	Phaedymia	Son of Cyrus the Great. (Imposter Gaumata acted in his place)
Darius I the Great	521-486	Atossa Artystone Parmys Phratagune	son-in-law of Cyrus the Great, son of Hystaspes, grandson of Arsames Armies defeated at Battle of Marathon in Greece.
Xerxes I the Great	485-465	Amestris	son of Darius I and Atossa Victorious at Battle of Thermopylae Defeated at Battle of Salamis
Artaxerxes I Longimanus	465-424	Damaspia Cosmartidene Alogyne Andia	son of Xerxes I and Amestris
Xerxes II	424		son of Artaxerxes I and Damaspia
Sogdianus	424-423		Son of Artaxerxes I and Alogyne; half-brother and rival of Xerxes II
Darius II of Persia	423-405	Parysatis	Son of Artaxerxes I and Cosmartidene; half-brother and rival of Xerxes II
Artaxerxes II Mnemon	404-359	Stateira	son of Darius II (see also Xenophon)

Early in the reign of Artaxerxes II, in 399 BCE, the Persians lose control over Egypt. They regained control 57 years later – in 342 BCE – when Artaxerxes III conquered Egypt.

Kings of Persia (358–330 BCE); Thirty-first dynasty of Egypt (342–332 BCE)

King	Reign (BCE)	Consort(s)	Comments
Artaxerxes III Ochus	358-338		son of Artaxerxes II and Stateira
Artaxerxes IV Arses	338-336		son of Artaxerxes III and Atossa
Darius III	336-330	Stateira I	great-grandson of Darius II defeated by Alexander the Great

Persian mints

Minting and mint cities of the Achaemenids

The central problem of identifying different mint cities can be solved only through comprehensive new finds and detailed die studies. The major mint was certainly Sardis, the seat of the Achaemenid administration for the whole of Asia Minor. It had already been the mint as well as the capital of the former Lydian kings and was kept in operation by the Achaemenids. As the leading administrative center, Sardis must also have been the collection point for the annual tribute payments from the provinces of Asia Minor, thus ensuring a sufficient supply of precious metals for mint production there. On the basis of evidence from hoards, as well as typological and metrological research,  leading historians have concluded that there were also mint cities in both northwestern and southwestern Asia Minor. The fact that in the time of Alexander II of Macedonia double darics with the image of the great king were being issued in the eastern part of the empire, perhaps in Babylon, suggests that there may already have been a mint there under the Achaemenids. Exemplary die study of the 'Croeseids' (The first coins of pure gold minted in antiquity), encompassing identical obverse dies and reverse punches on both gold and silver coins, has considerably clarified Lydian minting practice, which must also have been adopted for the later production of darics and sigloi, though few overlapping series of dies and punches have so far been discovered on Achaemenid coins. In fact, identical reverse punches appear on the overwhelming majority of coins within the different typological groups, suggesting that, as the design lacked imagery, it continued in use for a very long time.

Persian Coinage

The coinage of the Achaemenid Empire was a continuation of the coins of Lydia.The Persians, like the Medes and Babylonians, were unfamiliar with, or felt not need of, coined money before the capture of Sardes by Cyrus and the conquest of the Lydian empire B.C. 546, when for the first time they came into direct contact with the Greeks of the coast lands of Asia Minor. How soon after these events they began to issue gold staters of the royal Persian type is a somewhat doubtful point, but the Darius Hystaspis, B.C. 521-486, coined gold money of the finest quality- we are told by Herodotus. Coins were introduced by Darius the Great and were issued from 520 BCE-450 BCE all up to the time of Alexander the Greats conquest in 330 BCE/ it goes for the Daric and Siglos. It seems that before then, a continuation of Lydian coinage under Persian rule was highly likely . Achaemenid coinage includes the official imperial issues (Darics and Sigloi), as well as coins issued by the Achaemenid governors (Satraps), such as those stationed in ancient Asia Minor.

Daric- gold coin

 

Darius first introduced a reform currency system at about 520-480, the precise period is debatable. The rate of exchange was 1 Daric = 20 Siglos. It consisted of a Daric of between 8.10-8.50 grams in weight and based on the Babylonian shekel of 8.33 grams. The purity was between 98-99% gold.

It seems probable, therefore, that the gold Daric was first struck in the reign of Darius, and moreover at the Sardian mint, which may then have been reopened after having  been closed since the fall of Croesus, for it is hardly likely that either Cyrus or Cambyses would have allowed it to continue the issue of the Croesean gold staters after the Persian conquest. That Sardes should be place of mintage chosen by Darius for his new Persian coinage is not surprising, when it is borne in mind that the processes of minting were fully understood there, and that skilled die-sinkers and moneyers would be more easily obtainable there than anywhere else in the Persian empire.
After the capture of Babylon by Alexander, the Satrap Mazaios issued the double Daric of 16.65 grams in weight whose image was based on the Daric coin and bore his name until his death in 328 BCE. 1 Daric = 25 Attic Drachmae.

Double Daric

In the ancient times, it was nicknamed "the archer". For instance, Agesilaus said that he had been driven out of Asia by thirty thousand archers, referring to the bribe distributed by the Persian King.

Some, such as the Ancient Greeks, believed that this coin's name is derived from the name Darius, but in reality it appears to be derived from a Persian word meaning "gold"; in Middle Persian it is called zarig.

Siglos-silver coin


Silver siglos-4th century BC

Siglos is 5.40-5.60 grams each, but is based on the 0.5 Lydian Siglos of 10.73-10.92 grams for the full unit. Purity was at first issue 97-98% but by the middle 4th century was 94-95%. 1 Siglos = 7.5 Attic Obols

The coin is mentioned several times in the Old Testament, as the Israelites came into contact with it when their Babylonian conquerors were conquered by Persia. The first 'Book of Chronicles' describes king David as asking an assembly of people to donate for the construction of the Temple. The people gave generously "for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

Regarding Persian coinage

It seems probable, therefore, that the gold Daric was first struck in the reign of Darius, and moreover at the Sardian mint, which may then have been reopened after having  been closed since the fall of Croesus, for it is hardly likely that either Cyrus or Cambyses would have allowed it to continue the issue of the Croesean gold staters after the Persian conquest. That Sardes should be place of mintage chosen by Darius for his new Persian coinage is not surprising, when it is borne in mind that the processes of minting were fully understood there, and that skilled die-sinkers and moneyers would be more easily obtainable there than anywhere else in the Persian empire.
The output of the darics during the reigns of Darius and Xerxes, doubtless from other centres as well as from the old Sardian mint, must have been enormous, for we read that the Lydian, Pythius, at the time of the expedition of Xerxes, possessed as many as 3,993,000 of them, a sum which the king increased to 4,000,000.
Following the example set by Croesus, Darius employed practically pure gold for his new coinage, though with the addition of about 3 per cent. of alloy which, as experience had taught the moneyers, was necessary for slightly hardening of the metal. The weight of the Daric, 130 grs., was rather heavier than that of its predecessor the Croesean stater (126 grs.) by about 4 grs.,an excess partly, perhaps, due to the 3 per cent. of alloy added to the pure metal. It may be doubted, however, whether the intrinsic value of the Daric exceeded that of the stater of Croesus, which was of absolutely pure gold.

How the art of numismatics began ( probably)

Roman nobles, fascinated by Greek culture, collected Greek coins  and  antiquities during the reign of Augustus Caesar, when the art and science of numismatics began.  Although there is no record of  coin collecting  during the Dark Ages,  Renaissance magnates beginning with a famous scholar Francesco Petrarca ( 14th c.) collected portraits of  emperors on Roman coins. Their willingness to pay high prices for fine portrait specimens led to the first  numismatic imitations,  Paduan medals struck by Cavino and other medalists of the time.

Different coin types attract different personalities.  While Greek coins fascinate collectors drawn to their artistic merit, Roman Imperial  issues attract those who prize their realistic and imposing portraits of emperors and their families. Persian coins have  special meaning to collectors interested in the culture and religion of ancient Iran, and the successors of Alexander issued unusual and attractive Indo-Greek coins in Southwest Asia. Ancient coins were struck in many metals: gold, silver, electrum (a natural gold-silver alloy), brass, bronze, billon  (debased silver), potin, lead and even nickel. Although ancient gold can be expensive, some issues  (notably those of the Byzantine Empire) are very reasonably priced. Silver coins are normally well preserved, however bronze coins often  circulated for long periods and many examples show considerable wear, as well as the effects of natural chemical changes.