Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

DARICUS. DECASMUS. 335
sort of quadrata incusa or deep cleft. WVe know which was entrusted to Timnocrates the Rhodian to
firom Herodotus (iv. 166) that Dareius, the son of bribe the demagogues of Thehes and Athens to
Hystaspes, reformed the Persian currency, and make his presence necessary at home. (Plut. 4ges.
stamped gold of the purest standard; and it is 15, Artax. 20, Lacon. Apopdht. p. 181.) Arygenerally believed that the daricus was so called andes, who was appointed governor of Egypt by
from him. IHarpocration, however, says (s. v.) Cambyses, is supposed to have been the first who
that the name was older than this Dareins, and struck these silver coins, in imitation of the gold
taken from an earlier king. Gesenius (Hebr. coinage of Dareius Hystaspis. (Herod. iv. 166.)
Lexicon) supposes the name to be derived from an
ancient Persila word signifying king, or royal
palace, or the bow of the king, in aillusion to the
figure stamped upon it. The best authors, however, think that there is no sufficient ground for
supposing either the name or the coin to be older
than Dareius, the son of Itystaspes. (Bbickh,
3:letrol. Untersuch. p. 129; Grote, History of coLn DARic. BITISH MUSrUi. ACTUAL SIzi.
Greece, vol. iv. p. 320.)
T'his coin had a very extensive circulation, not
only in the Persian empiie, but also in Greece.
The pay given by Cyrus to the soldiers of Clearchus was a daricus a month (Xen. gab. i. 3.
~ 21); and the same pay was offered to the same
troops by Thimbrion, a Lacedaemonian generall
(Ibid. vii. 6. ~ 1). In the later books of the Old'
Testament, the daricus is supposed to be mentioned
utinder the names of adarkon (.1B1N) and darkemon (Z1u~.). (See 1 Chron. xxix. 7; Ezra, viii.
27, ii. 69 Nehem. vii. 70, 72.) sILVE.R DARIC BRINIsH MUSEUM. ACTUAL SIZi.
All ancient authorities agree in stating that the
daricus was the precise equivalent of the Lydian DE'BITOR [OnhI1ATIONES.1
and Attic stater; that is, it was equal in weight to DECADU'CHI (3clcaaoeXoi), the members of
two Attic drachmae. (Harpocr.; Lex. Seg.; a council of Ten, who succeeded the Thirty in the
Suid.; Schol. ad AristopI. Eccl. 598.) This, supreme power at Athens, B. c. 403. (Harpocrat.
according to the ordinary ratio of gold to silver, s. v.) They were chosen from the ten tribes, one
10:1, would make its value equal to twenty silver from each (Xen. Hell. ii. 4. ~~ 23, 74); but,
drachmae; which. agrees with the statement of though opposed to the Thirty, they sent ambasXenophon (Aeab, i. 7. ~ 18.; comp. Arrian. Azsab. sadors to Sparta to ask for assistance against
iv. 18). Thrasybulus and the exiles. They remained
Five darics made a mina of silver, and 300 masters of Athens till the party of Thrasybulus
darics a talent. Xenophon also mentions half obtained possession of the city and the democracy
darics ( /tk3apEltco0s, Anab. i. 3. ~ 21.) was restored. (Lys. c. Eratosth. p. 420; W5achsThe value of the daricus in our money, computed muth, Ifellen. Allerthsfeisk. vol. i. p. 646, 2d ed..)
from the drachma, is 16s. 3d.; but if reckoned by DECA'IRCHIA or DECADA/RCI-HIA (setpcomparison with our gold money, it is worth much Xva, sEtcraapXLa), was a supreme council esta.
more. The darics in the British Miuseum weigh blished in many of the Grecian cities by the
128'4 grains and 128'6 grains, respectively. Lacedaemonians, who intrusted to it the whole
IHussey (Ancient Weights, &c. vii. 3) calculates government of the state under the direction of a
the darienus as containing on an average about 123'7 Spartan harmost. It always consisted of the
grains of pure gold, and therefore equal in value leading members of the aristocratical party. (Harto1237 of a sovereign, or about. Is. l d..'76 pocrat, s. v.; Schneider, ad Aristot. Pol. ii. 146,
1to l512 0147.) This form of government appears to have
farthings. been first established by Lysander at Ephesus.
Very few darics have come down to us; their (Plut. Lys. 5; WVachsmuth, liellen. Alterlhumsk.,
scarcity may be accounted for by the fact, that vol. i. p. 517, 2d ed.)
after the conquest of Persia, they were melted DECASMUS (6taoaeds), bribery. There
down and recoined under the type of Alexander. were two actions for bribery at Athens: one,
There were also silver darics, bearing the same called rcao'~toi Ypap,~, lay against the person
device as the gold, namely, the figure of an who gave the bribe; and the other, called &0?peer
archer. (Plut, Cif.,. 1 0; Aelian. V. ti. i. 22.) or acopoaoeias?padpal, against the person who reTheir weights vary fiom 224 to 230 grains: ceived it. (Pollux, viii. 42.) These actions apthose of the latter weight must have been struck, plied to the bribery of citizens in the public asas was not very unusual in old coinisges, some- semblies of the people (snvrE &csrSec,,iv r7'p cicAno-iea
what above the true weight; they seem to have Aesch. c.. Tiiarcl. p. 12), of the Heliaea or any of
been didrachus of the Babylonian or Egyptian the courts of justice, of the Bovx{, and of the public
standard. advocates ( vsuyyipos, Dem. c. Staphl. ii. p. 1137.
In allusion to the device of an archer, the I), Demosthenes (De Falsa Leg. p. 343), indarics were often called'r4~ora, and it is related of deed, says that orators were forbidden by the law,
Agesilaus, that, when recalled to Greece, he said inot merely to abstain from receiving gifts for the
that the Persian king had driven him out of Asia injury of the state, but even to receive any present
by me~ns of 30,000 bowmen, referring to the sum at all,
~c