Before coins could become the basis of money systems, sophisticated techniques for mining and metalworking evolved in small steps over many centuries. The first metals to be worked successfully were copper, bronze and iron. Standard-sized metal rings, bracelets, arrowheads and small mythological figures were cast and used for payment
It was not until 680 BC that the Greeks minted the first round, flat coins, defining the physical shape of money for many centuries to come. These early coins were made of electrum, an alloy of gold and silver, since the two metals were found mingled together in the Greek mines of the time. Later, the Persian empire builders spread gold coinage throughout the ancient world. Historians estimate that at the time of Darius roughly 1500 tonnes of gold coins were in circulation.
Source:
René Sedillot: Muscheln, Münzen und Papier
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