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Hekte
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Electrum |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four recessed compartments by a raised cruciform ridge, each quadrant showing a rough, granular surface texture. The incuse is deeply struck and nearly square in overall form, set within a slightly raised border. This standard reverse type is characteristic of early Phokaian electrum hektes and served primarily as a countermark to authenticate the metal content rather than as a decorative design. |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (521 BC - 478 BC) |
| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the earliest Greek cities to issue electrum coinage, a tradition reaching back to the late seventh century. By the time these hektai were struck, the city had survived the catastrophic Persian siege of 540 BC — after which a large portion of the population famously emigrated rather than submit to Harpagos — yet minting continued under Persian-dominated conditions, the coins circulating through Aegean trade networks that Persian imperial authority could not fully suppress.
Bodenstedt 32 falls within a well-documented sequence, the electrum drawn from natural alluvial sources with a gold-to-silver ratio that varied enough between dies to affect color and specific gravity noticeably across the type.