EconomyTrading The first coins ever minted in Persia were issued under the rule of Darius I. He encouraged trade by building roads throughout the empire, making it richer. Messengers would in shifts. The economy was based from the trade system. There was a thriving trade of gold, silver, copper, lead, and blue lapis lazuli kept Persia in contact with neighbors to the east and the west. Borrowed the tool, manufacturing metal coins, from Lydians of Asia Minor. Standard valued coins circulated the empire. Network roads and the wide use of standardized coins promoted trade. Trade helped to hold together the empire.
Darius I created a permanent army made up of paid soldiers and instituted a new training system for the army. Darius I reform strengthened the economy.
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Armies They started off as pastoralists with some agriculture, but agriculture became the foundation of the economy. Barley was the most frequent sown cereal in the empire. For formal tax levies, each satrapy had to pay a tribute in silver and a levy of horses and slaves. Tax collectors and record keepers were used to help manage the economy. Darius I introduced a gold daric, forming the basis of the monetary system, and the silver shekel.
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