Darius I Siglos (510-486BC)

From around 510-500 BC, Darius I introduced the image of the Persian king as the archer. This is the first coin ever issued with the intended image of a king. Around 500 BC, a clay tablet, issued in year 22 of the reign of Darius I (circa 500 BC), contained the impression on the clay of two Type II Sigloi (“King shooting arrow”), showing that the new Sigloi had already been issued by that date. Because of these and other discoveries, the creation of these Sigloi with the image of Darius is dated to the last decade of the 6th century BC, during the reign of Darius I.

Darius I is also known to history as Darius the Great, (born 550 BC—died 486). He was the famous king of Persia (522–486 BC), and was one of the greatest rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty. He was distinguished for his administrative genius and for his great building projects. Yet many remember Darius for his failed several attempts to conquer Greece; his fleet was destroyed by a storm in 492BC, and the Athenians defeated his army at the famous Battle of Marathon in 490BC. It was that victory that began to pass the title of Financial Capital of the World from Persia to Greece.

This small hoard of Siglos is all worn and was most likely a hoard buried from the Battle of Marathon and its owner never returned to retrieve them. However, this hoard also shows punch marks of the earlier foreign exchange dealers in history. To verify that the coins were genuine, the FX dealer would apply his punch mark to the coin so that any time it would pass through his hands, he knew it was real.