Siglos of the Achaemenid kings c. 450

Editor: This is a Siglos coin, made by the Achaemenid Kings. It's so small, but it seems to have survived quite a bit. What can you tell me about its purpose as a coin? Curator: Coins like this were more than just currency; they were tools of imperial power. The very act of minting and circulating these coins projected the Achaemenid kings' authority across their vast empire. Editor: How so? Curator: Well, consider the imagery. Though worn, what figures or symbols might have been deliberately chosen to appear on them? Its production and standardization would have also fostered economic integration, but also communicated a unified visual language of power. Editor: That's interesting; I hadn't considered the power of a common image. Thanks!