*NGC AU* Persian Empire – Xerxes I/Artaxerxes I (ca. 485-420 BC) Gold Daric

Description Persian (Achaemenid) Empire. Time of the Greek Classical Period. Xerxes I/Artaxerxes I (ca. 485-420 BC) AV (Gold) daric. Mint of Sardes, Lydia. Graded AU 3/5 - 3/5 by NGC; brilliantly lustrous specimen of the only Persian royal coinage of the period.   Design: Great King of Persia (or perhaps a hero), wearing cidaris and candys, advancing right in kneeling-running stance, holding quiver over shoulder and bow in hand / Incuse punch Reference: Carradice Type IIB, Group A/B. Sunrise 24. Dimensions: 17 mm / 8.36 gm Condition: NGC AU 3/5 - 3/5, brushed, flan flaw.   Much has been written about the David-and-Goliath story in which the small coalition of Greek city-states defeated the vast Persian Empire stretching from Bulgaria to India. Though the victories in the two Graeco-Persian Wars were certainly a watershed moment for Greece, inaugurating its golden age of art, theater, philosophy, and politics – they were actually not such a disaster for the defeated Persians. Xerxes, the legendary king at the time of the invasion, retreated from the Greek campaign early, possibly to deal with an internal revolt in Babylon. The forces he left behind under Mardonius, were crushed by the Greeks at Plataea on land and at Mycale on sea on the same day (27 August 479 BC), decisively ending the Persian invasion of Greece. Though the defeat against the smaller Greek alliance had been total, the ramifications for Xerxes at home were modest. The Greeks certainly gained confidence, as one can observe an emboldened attitude in all aspects of their culture throughout the 5thcentury – indeed, for several centuries. But it is not clear that the Persian political psyche was shattered by the defeat. The empire remained stable, and Xerxes returned to the great infrastructure projects of his father, Darius. He built the Gate of All Nations and the Hall of a Hundred Columns at his capital of Persepolis, two iconic landmarks whose ruins survive and still inspire wonder today. His son Artaxerxes would rule for forty years (465-424 BC) and achieved something of a stabilization of relations with Greece. Skirmishes between the Athenians and Persians continued into the 460s, usually with the Athenians victorious, but Artaxerxes recognized that the best course for Persia was to recognize Athens, a literal city-state (albeit with a hegemonic pseudo-empire), as something of an equal with his own domain of 2 million square miles. The Peace of Callias (449 BC) was thus a remarkable agreement, demonstrating the extent of Athens’ prosperity, political clout, and military might in the 5th century BC golden age.