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Hekte
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 478 BC - 387 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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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four recessed compartments of roughly equal size, alternating in depth to create a windmill or checker-board pattern typical of early Phokaic electrum coinage. The incuse design is deeply struck with flat, polished surfaces within each quadrant, consistent with hammered archaic coinage technique. The surrounding flan edge is irregular, characteristic of hand-struck electrum issues of this period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia shared minting rights for electrum hektes with Mytilene under a formal agreement, the two cities alternating types on a regular cycle — an arrangement virtually unique in the Greek world. The alliance kept both mints producing despite the broader disruptions of the Peloponnesian War. Phokaian issues are distinguished from Mytilenean hektes by the consistent inclusion of a small seal (phoke) as a subsidiary device, functioning as a civic badge rather than a design element.
Production ceased abruptly in 387 BC when the Peace of Antalcidas handed the Ionian coast back to Persia.