in antiquity, a famous piece of gold, first coined by Darius the Mede about 538 years before Christ, probably during his stay at Babylon, out of the vast quantity of gold which had been accumulated in the treasury. From thence it was dispersed over the east, and also in Greece; so that the Persian daric, which was also called flater, was the gold coin best known in Athens in ancient times. According to Dr Bernard, it weighed two grains more than one of our guineas; but as it was very fine, and contained little alloy, it may be reckoned worth about 2 1/2s. of our money. Plutarch informs us, that the darics were stamped on one side with an archer clothed in a long robe, and crowned with a spiked crown, holding a bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right; and on the other side with the effigies of Darius. All the other pieces of gold of the same weight and value that were coined of the succeeding kings, both of the Persian and Macedonian race, were called darics, from Darius in whose reign this coin commenced. Of these there were whole darics and half darics; and they are called in those parts of Scripture written after the Babylonish captivity adarkonim; and by the Talmudists darkonoth. Greaves says that the daric is still found in Persia; but it is certainly very scarce, and perhaps of doubtful antiquity.