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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 |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Head of Athena facing left, wearing a crested Attic helmet adorned with a decorative band of pellets along the brim; the hair rendered in globular curls visible beneath the helmet's cheekpiece. The portrait is executed in the archaic style characteristic of Ionian electrum coinage, with almond-shaped eye and strong facial modelling. The flan is slightly irregular and convex, typical of early hammered electrum hektes from Phokaia. No legend or inscription is present in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the earliest Greek cities to strike electrum coinage, beginning no later than the mid-seventh century BC, and the hekte denomination formed the backbone of that output for generations. This particular issue falls within a period of acute political disruption: the Persian conquest of Phokaia circa 546 BC drove a significant portion of the population to found Elea in southern Italy rather than submit to Harpagos. Those who remained continued minting under effective Persian suzerainty until the Ionian Revolt and its brutal suppression at Lade in 494 BC effectively shattered the city's autonomy.
The natural electrum alloy used by Phokaia — drawn from Lydian river sources — varies noticeably in gold-to-silver ratio between issues, a detail Bodenstedt's die study systematically documented.