Payment, Profit, or Prestige? The Political Economy of Achaemenid Coin Production, ca. 550–330 BCE

ANS Chief Curator Dr. Peter van Alfen considers the various reasons that modern commentators suggest for the production of ancient coinage in general and Achaemenid royal coinage in particular. Drawing upon theoretical approaches in the fields of economics and political science, he proposes a framework for understanding the rationalities that lay behind ancient coin production beyond just state payments, especially those made for military purposes.