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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Parthicus, post: 2698256, member: 81887&quot;]My most recently acquired ancient coin, from the latest Triskeles/ Vauctions sale:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]606819[/ATTACH] </p><p>Achaemenid Empire.&nbsp; AR siglos (5.44 g, 13 x 15 mm).&nbsp; c.375-340 BC (Time of Artaxerxes II- Artaxerxes III).&nbsp; Obverse: King kneeling/running right, holding bow and dagger.&nbsp; Three countermarks: Knot pattern (?), flower, rosebud (?).&nbsp; Reverse: infuse punch.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Achaemenid Empire was founded by the Persian king Cyrus the Great about 550 BC and lasted until its conquest by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.&nbsp; It was the largest empire of its time, not surpassed until (you guessed it) Alexander.&nbsp; This period is looked back on as the origin of much of Persian culture, and is a source of pride for Iranians.&nbsp; Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi threw a huge party at the ruins of Persepolis to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of continuous Persian monarchy in 1971*, and thereby&nbsp; assert himself as a worthy successor to Cyrus.&nbsp; Even today, schoolchildren in the Islamic Republic of Iran are taught to take pride in the pre-Islamic Persian&nbsp; past, particularly the Achaemenids.</p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;The main coinage in the empire was struck in Lydia, in western Asia Minor, in the form of gold darics and silver sigloi that were somewhat crude, bean-shaped, with a simple punch mark on the reverse and an obverse design showing the king either pulling a bowstring, holding bow and spear, or holding bow and dagger.&nbsp; The dagger type is thought to be the last issued, c. 375-340 BC (Achaemenid coinage lacks inscriptions, making precise dates impossible).&nbsp; This coin is better struck than many, with the king well-centered and missing just his feet.&nbsp; The three clear countermarks (presumably bankers&#039; marks) add to the interest.&nbsp; The &quot;knot&quot; that is touching the king&#039;s head reminds me of a pretzel.&nbsp; I won this in the Triskeles/ Vauctions sale at $100, which is a reasonable price for a moderately well-preserved siglos.&nbsp; Post your Achaemenid coins, or anything else related.</p><p><br /></p><p>*How you get precisely 2500 years from 550 BC to 1971 AD is a mystery, as is how you could call Persian history since Cyrus a &quot;continuous monarchy.&quot;&nbsp; Incidentally, the enormous wasteful expense of the celebration (over $100 million, not adjusted for inflation) was used against the Shah by his enemies and helped lead to his downfall a few years later.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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