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Hekte
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Hekte (10⁄3) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Three dolphins arranged in a triskelion-like whirl around a central pellet, their bodies curving dynamically in a clockwise rotation within the field. The composition is enclosed by a pronounced beaded border that frames the design elegantly. The relief is rendered in a bold, archaic artistic style characteristic of early Ionian electrum coinage. The dolphins' forms are stylized yet vigorous, conveying motion and naturalistic energy typical of Phokaian mint production of the late Archaic period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Irregular quadripartite incuse punch, divided into four recessed compartments of unequal size by raised ridges meeting near the centre, characteristic of the mill-sail or quadripartum incusum type employed on early Greek electrum fractions. The incuse field shows a striated surface texture resulting from the hammered striking technique. No legend or additional device is present; the functional punch served primarily to displace metal and authenticate the coin's electrum content. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the most aggressive colonizers of the archaic Greek world, founding Massalia (modern Marseille) around 600 BC and maintaining trade networks that stretched from the Black Sea to Iberia. The city's electrum hektes were almost certainly produced to facilitate that long-distance commerce rather than local retail exchange — the denomination was too high for ordinary market transactions. Phokaia shared a coinage agreement with Mytilene on Lesbos, alternating mint production, a formal arrangement unique in the Greek world and documented by the consistency of weight standards across both cities' issues.