What Persian Darics were used for.

An ancient Persian Gold Daric is a high-purity gold piece and weighs approximately 8.4 grams. This weight is based on an ancient weight standard.

 

The Daric was also referred to as a Babylonian shekel. It was called a shekel because it was equivalent to one month's pay for a mercenary foot soldier. We know what Persian Darics were used for. Persian Darics were some of the first coins ever used as currency. Currency was a new concept, because in ancient times bartering was the norm.

 

One daric could be exchanged for 20 silver sigloi. This was a daric's silver currency counterpart.

Read more »