Apadana hoard
The Apadana hoard is a hoard of coins that were discovered under the stone boxes containing the foundation tablets of the
Foundation tablets
The gold and silver tablets retrieved from the stone boxes contained a trilingual inscription by
Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid. King Darius says: This is the kingdom which I hold, from the
locative of "Hiduš") to Lydia (Old Persian: "Spardâ") - [this is] what Ahuramazda, the greatest of gods, bestowed upon me. May Ahuramazda protect me and my royal house!— DPh inscription of Darius I[6]
Foundation hoard
The coins found in the hoard were:
- Northeastern deposit: Four gold lightweight Croeseids (Sardis mint), a tetradrachm of Abdera, a stater of Aegina.[1]
- Southeastern deposit: Four gold lightweight
The Croesids were found in very fresh condition, confirming that they had been recently minted under Achaemenid rule.
Symbolism
According to numismatist Martin Price, the coins in the hoard were probably selected not for the location they represented, but for the symbolic significance of their type. The lion attacking the bull in the Lycian coinage of the Croeseids had obvious symbolism for the Achaemenids, the griffin on the coin of Abdera may have been used as the symbolic guardian of gold, and the turtle of the coin from Aegina may have been chosen as a symbol of maritime power.[8]
Other coin types of the Apadana hoard
-
Coin type of theLapethusfound later near the hoard. Late 6th-early 5th century BCE
-
Coin similar to the type of a Cyprus coin from an uncertain mint, found in the hoard. 5th century BCE
See also
References
- ^ JSTOR 43580364.
- ISBN 9780195219210.
- ^ Philip's Atlas of World History. 1999.
- ISBN 9781620082881.
- ISBN 978-0723003045.
- ^ DPh inscription
- ^ ISBN 9780521200912.
- ^ Root, Margaret Cool (1989). "The Persian archer at Persepolis: aspects of chronology, style and symbolism". Revue des Études Anciennes. 91: 50.