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Hekte
| Issuer | Phokaia (Ionia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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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 |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square deeply impressed into the flan, divided by two perpendicular raised ridges into four roughly equal sunken compartments of irregular texture, typical of early electrum coinage produced by hammer and punch technique. The incuse pattern fills the entire reverse face, with no additional devices, symbols, or inscriptions present. The rough granular surface within each quarter reflects the primitive punch technology employed by Phokaian mint workers during the Archaic period. |
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| Mint | Phokaia |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the most commercially aggressive poleis of the ancient Greek world — its merchants had established trading colonies as far west as Massalia (modern Marseille) by the mid-sixth century. The city's electrum hektes were effectively the fuel of that trade network, struck from locally sourced alloy at a consistently higher gold ratio than the competing issues of Mytilene, a distinction ancient merchants would have recognized and priced accordingly.
The Bodenstedt classification for this type was established through meticulous die study published in 1976, remaining the authoritative reference for Phokaian electrum.