Royaume d’Achéménide. Darius I to Xerxes I. Siglos 490 - 475 BC. (Sans Prix de Réserve)

ACHAEMENID EMPIRE. Time of Darius I to Xerxes I (ca. 490 - 475 BC)
Silver Siglos (4.97g 17.33 mm). Minted in Sardis, Lydia.
Possibly introduced in connection with the accession of Xerxes.

Obv: Kneeling-running figure of the Great King right, transverse spear with point downward in right, bow in left, bearded, crowned, quiver visible. Rev: Incuse punch.

Ref: Carradice type IIIa: Carradice plate XI, 14 - 15; BMC Arabia, p. 155, 57 and pl XXV, 11; SGCV II 4678

Darius the Great transformed the Achaemenid Empire, centralizing its administration and introducing a standardized currency system that unified trade and taxation across its vast territories. Coins like the siglos, minted in Sardis, symbolized imperial authority and economic stability. In 485 BCE, Xerxes I succeeded Darius, inheriting a powerful but vast empire. Xerxes faced major challenges, including the Greco-Persian Wars, with iconic battles like Thermopylae. Despite setbacks, Xerxes upheld his father’s legacy, consolidating the empire’s traditions of centralized rule and grandeur. Coins from this era depicted the king as both a warrior and a divine protector, underscoring his role as the defender of the empire’s vast borders and diverse peoples.