bgr_542963 - LYDIA - LYDIAN KINGDOM - CROESUS Douzième de statère

LYDIE - KINGDOM OF LYDIA - Croesus

(561-546 BC)

The wealth of Croesus and the name of the river that flowed Sardis carting gold nuggets (or rather electrum), Pactolus, remained proverbial. Lydian coinage, one of the first of the Greek world, begin in the middle of the seventh century BC Under Croesus, we have a large and diverse coinage. Croesus succeeded Alyattes II (610-561 BC). The beginning of his reign was brilliant, but he met the new king of Persia, Cyrus. The war broke out between the two kingdoms. Sardis fell in 546 BC at the hands of the Persians of Cyrus spared the life of Croesus. Sardis was the capital of a satrapy. Cyrus retained the monetary system and the coinage of his opponent. The half-shekel of silver or twentieth century was part of the light gold stater of 8.17 g. It was not until 510 that the daric and Persian shekel replace archaic coinage of Croesus.