an ancient Persian gold coin. It was first minted under Darius I (c. 516 B.C.). The daric was the first gold coin of antiquity. The minting of darics was of great economic importance for ancient Persia, because it strengthened the slaveholding Persian society. The daric weighed 8.4 g of gold. It was the basis of the monetary system. The darics were minted at the king’s mint in Persepolis until the conquest of Persia by Alexander of Macedonia.