Royal Mint

According to some ancient commentators, the origin of the coin is the eastern kingdom of Lydia. As controlling the source of coinage bestowed economic benefits, the crude electrum coins were rapidly adopted and developed by the Greek cities and Achaemenid Empire alike. The ‘Darik’, struck by King Darius, showed the king running with a weapon and became the standard across the east until Alexander’s Macedonian invasion, following which more ornate Greek designs featuring portraits and deities appeared. This new, Greek coinage was seen as a potent symbol of power by eastern kings, who quickly minted their own versions.