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.