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Primary sourceArtifactc. 520-505 BC

Siglos Coin of Darius the Great

c. 520-505 BC

A silver siglos coin from the reign of Darius I, showing the Persian king as an archer, used across the Achaemenid Empire.

This coin depicts Darius I as a royal archer, showing how his image was spread through everyday currency.

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Photograph of a silver Achaemenid siglos coin of Darius I. Obverse: a half-length figure facing right wearing a kidaris headdress, holding a bow and arrows. Reverse: a rough incuse punch mark.
Silver siglos coin of Darius I, c. 520-505 BC. Sardes mint, Lydo-Milesian standard.

About this source

What it is

This is a silver siglos, a coin struck on the Lydo-Milesian standard, likely from the Sardes mint, dated to around 520-505 BC. One side shows a half-length figure of the Persian king wearing a kidaris headdress and kandys robe, holding a bow and arrows. The other side bears a rough incuse punch mark.

Why it matters

Coins like this circulated widely in the Achaemenid Empire under Darius I, and their imagery of a royal archer became a symbol of Persian royal power. Studying coins like this helps historians understand the empire's economy and how rulers projected their image to ordinary people.

Look closer

  • Why might a king choose to be shown holding weapons rather than other objects?
  • What does the spread of this coin type tell us about the size of the Achaemenid Empire?
  • What is missing from a coin that a written document might tell us instead?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Darius the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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