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Hekte
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.54 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Incuse quadripartite square punch, divided into four recessed compartments by a raised cross, with alternating raised and sunken sections creating a windmill or pinwheel pattern. This hallmark reverse type is characteristic of early Ionian electrum hektes struck by Phokaia, serving as a guarantor punch rather than a pictorial design. The square punch is deeply impressed and centrally placed on the flan. No legend or inscription is present. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the earliest Greek cities to strike electrum coinage, and its hektes circulated widely through Ionian trade networks long before the Persian conquest disrupted the city's commercial dominance. The natural alloy used here — sourced from Lydian river deposits rather than artificially blended — means the gold-to-silver ratio varies between individual specimens, a fact Bodenstedt's die study had to account for when establishing type boundaries.
Bodenstedt 36 falls within the period bracketed by Darius I's consolidation of Ionian control and the aftermath of the Ionian Revolt, when Phokaia's output contracted sharply.