v51_0213 - LYDIA - LYDIAN KINGDOM - CROESUS Hemistatère

LYDIA - LYDIAN KINGDOM - CROESUS

(561-546 BC)

The wealth of Croesus as well as the name of the river which flowed in Sardis carrying nuggets of gold (or rather electrum), the Pactole, remained proverbial. The Lydian coinage, one of the first in the Greek world, would begin in the middle of the 7th century BC. Under Croesus, we have an important and diversified coinage. Croesus succeeded Alyattes II (610-561 BC). The beginning of his reign was brilliant, but he clashed with the new king of the Persians, Cyrus. War between the two kingdoms broke out. Sardis fell in 546 BC under the blows of the Persians of Cyrus who spared the life of Croesus. Sardis became the capital of a satrapy. Cyrus kept his adversary's monetary system and coinage. The half-stater of silver or shekel was the twentieth part of the light gold stater of 8.17 g. It will be necessary to wait until 510 for the daric and the Persian shekel to replace the archaic coinage of Croesus.