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Hekte
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Forepart of a griffin advancing to the left, rendered in archaic style with a prominent curled wing rising above the body. A small seal is depicted in the lower right field, shown facing downward. The design is executed in high relief characteristic of early Phokaian electrum coinage, with the griffin's beak open and alert in profile. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia's electrum hektai were struck using a natural alloy sourced from the rivers of Lydia and the surrounding region, with a silver content notably higher than the Lydian standard — a deliberate choice that gave Phokaian coinage a distinct pale color and made it immediately distinguishable in trade. The city was among the most aggressive maritime colonizers of the archaic Greek world, planting settlements as far west as Massalia and Emporion, and its coinage circulated accordingly.
The date range straddles the Persian conquest of Ionia. After Cyrus took Sardis in 547 BC, many Phokaians famously chose mass emigration over submission — Herodotos records the episode in detail. Bodenstedt 39 falls within the post-capitulation phase, struck by those who remained.