A List of Revenues of the Darius I, Great King of Persia, is reported by Greek Historian Herodotus c 480 BC.[1] This serves to show the greatness of Darius and the Persian empire, show who was paying tribute to the empire and how much they were capable of paying.[2][3]
A talent of silver was a considerable sum of money, but making exact conversions to modern currency is problematical at best. Further compounding the problem are differences in how weights were measured.
| Satrapy | Babylonian Weight | Attic Weight | |
| Ionia (Yauna) | 400 | 520 | |
| Lydia (Sparda) | 500 | 650 | |
| Phrygia-Cappadocia (Katpatuka) | 360 | 468 | |
| Cilicia (Kilikes) | 360 | 468 | |
| An Additional 140 Babylonian talents = 182 Attic talents was paid to the garrison of the Gülek Pass(Cilician Gates) | |||
| Syria (Abar-Nahara) | 350 | 455 | |
| Egypt (Mudraya) | 700 | 910 | |
| The Persian garrison in the White Tower at Memphis | |||
| was provided with provisions, including 120,000 medimnoi, | |||
| which were the annual grain rations for 20,000 men. | |||
| In Athenian money of 450 B.C. this represented a market value | |||
| of 600,000 drachmae or 100 Attic talents (= 70 Babylonian talents). | |||
| Sattagydia-Gandhara | 170 | 222 | |
| Susiana (Uvja) | 300 | 390 | |
| Babylonia & Assyria | 1,000 | 1,300 | |
| Media (Mada) | 450 | 585 | |
| Caspia | 200 | 260 | |
| Bactria | 360 | 468 | |
| Armenia | 400 | 520 | |
| Sagartia-Drangiana | 250 | 325 | |
| Sacae | 600 | 780 | |
| Parthia (Parthava) | 300 | 390 | |
| Paricania | 400 | 520 | |
| Alordia | 200 | 260 | |
| Tibarene | 300 | 390 | |
| India (Hindush) | 4,680 | 6,084 | |
| Paid in gold dust of 360 Babylonian talents (= 468 Attic talents).|- | |||
| At a gold - silver ratio of 1-13 this yields an equivalent | |||
| in silver of 4,680 Babylonian talents. | |||
| Total | 12,280 | 15,964 |
References
edit- ^ Kleber, Kristin (2015). "Taxation in the Achaemenid Empire". Oxford Handbook Topics in Classical Studies. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935390.013.34. ISBN 978-0-19-993539-0. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ Spengler, Joseph (1955). "Herodotus on the Subject Matter of Economics". The Scientific Monthly. 81 (6): 276–285. Bibcode:1955SciMo..81..276S.
- ^ Pierre Briant (2002-01-01). From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Eisenbrauns. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-57506-120-7.
Sources
edit- Herodotus III. 90-96 and cf. A. R. Burn, Persia & the Greeks (New York, 1962), pp. 123–126.