Persia, AV daric, (Stater)

Persia, Time of Xerxes I. and Artaxerxes I., AV daric (stater) (486-450 B.C.)

Obv.: Kneeling King with spear and bow.
Rev.: Rough incusum.

Historical

Darius I (*549 BC; † 486 BC), also Darius the Great, was Great King of the Persian Achaemenid Empire from 522 BC and the ninth king from the Achaemenid dynasty. His Persian name means "upholding good".

Along with Cyrus the Great, Darius I is considered the most important great king of the ancient Persian Empire. Among the achievements that contribute to this assessment is the renewal of the empire's structures.

His administrative reforms were considered exemplary long after the end of the Achaemenid Empire; perhaps they even influenced the organisation of the Roman Empire.

He also promoted the arts, especially architecture. The foundation of Persepolis and the building activity in other residential cities, especially Susa, bear witness to this.

Darius I is also mentioned in the historical written sources of the Bible.

The Old Testament - Book of Ezra (Chapter 6:1) states that the king issued the decree and detailed instructions for the construction of the Jerusalem Temple. Further on in Ezra 6:15, the completion and dedication of the Jerusalem Temple in the so-called sixth year of Darius' reign (March 515 BC) is listed.

Also, an alleged correspondence between Cyrus and Darius with King Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes - Darius' grandson) is described (Ezra 4:7), during whose reign the priest Ezra and the prophet Nehemiah (cf. Old Testament - Book of Nehemiah ) probably came to Jerusalem.