Accumululiom in Syria and Persia. 143 



silver, was probably that which became the property of the mo- 

 narch, forming a kind of reserve stock, to meet unforeseen con- 

 tingencies. 



We find in another passage in Herodotus, a description of 

 the manner in which the treasure so collected was preserved in 

 the royal residence. " The gold and silver were melted and 

 poured into earthen vessels, and these when filled were re- 

 moved, leaving the metal in a solid mass ; when any was wanted, 

 a piece was broken off, of the capacity which the occasion re- 

 quired *.■" '^ 



It seemed, as far as regarded Darius, to be the practice to coin 

 no more gold or silver than was needed to conduct the commerce, 

 and to defray the expenses of the state -f-, which at that period 

 could not be of any large amount, from the paucity of com- 

 modities, which were the subjects of exchange, and from the 

 low prices which all the necessaries and conveniencies of life 

 bore. 



It is not improbable that this reserve fund was carefully kept 

 from circulation by hoarding, as a preparation for the grand 

 campaign against the Greeks, which must have formed a part 

 of the warlike operations projected by the Persian monarch and 

 his ministers. We learn that Xerxes took with him into the 

 field so much money and valuable effects, as formed loading for 

 1200 camels t ; and, upon the disastrous events which attended 

 his invasion, was under the necessity of distributing so large sums 

 to the mercenary troops which had accompanied him to the field, 

 that Sparta alone received from him 5000 talents §. 



Darius coined pieces of gold of great purity, which obtained 

 the name of Darics : they were about the value of twenty-five 

 shillings of our present money. The name Daric was at subse- 

 quent periods, however, given generally to all gold coins which 

 contained but little alloy, and thus indicating the purity of the 

 metal, rather than the weight of the piece. The darics of this 

 coinage, were ^ew in number, and contracted in circulation, or 

 more of them would have been handed down to posterity. It 

 is said, there are but two now known to exist, one of which is 

 in the collection of Lord Pembroke. The figure of an archer is 



• Herodotus, book iii. cap. 96. f Strabo, book xv. p. 505. 



% Demosth. de Symm. § Isocrat. ivfi-fAa 8f. 



