First Coins Developed in Lydia
7th century BC · Ancient World
The Lydians, an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor, developed the world's first standardized coins in the 7th century BC. Initially made of electrum (a natural gold-silver alloy) under King Alyattes, the system was later refined by King Croesus who introduced pure gold and silver coins, creating the first bimetallic currency.
Key Figures
CroesusKing Alyattes
Locations
SardisKingdom of Lydia
Topics
Iron AgeLydiaCurrencyCoinsSilver
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