Persian Kings (BC 333-331) Double Daric

Time of Darios III, ca 333-331 BC. AV Double Daric (20mm, 16.53g). Persian king in kneeling-running stance right, quiver over shoulder, holding dagger in right hand, bow in left / Incuse patterned rectagonal punch. Near VF. Extremely rare issue without control marks, only the BM and Sunrise pieces published.

Carradice lists this issue among late double darics attributed as Alexandrine issues. But Nicolet-Pierre, in her article on Alexandrine gold and silver at Babylon, does not mention any Type IV late double darics, only pieces similar to Type III, and all include control marks. This coin, like the Sunrise and BMC examples, shows no sign of control marks of Alexandrine coinage, and the style is closer to darics that Carradice gives to Artaxerxes II to Darios III. Thus, it is possible that this was a very late, if not the last, Achaemenid issue, just prior to the defeat of Darios III. It was probably struck at the same Babylonian mint that later issued double darics under Alexander, and may have provided coinage to the Persian king in Babylonia, as his western mints were no longer under his control. Regardless, it is from the first coinage struck in Babylon.