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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Federal Coinage of Phokis |
|---|---|
| Year | 445 BC - 420 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Head of Artemis facing left, her hair bound with a tainia (headband), rendered in fine archaic-to-early classical style with carefully delineated locks framing the face. The portrait is contained entirely within a shallow incuse square, a hallmark of early Greek coinage technique. The ethnic inscription Φ-Ο-Κ-Ι is distributed around the field within the incuse square, identifying the issuing Phokian federal authority. |
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| Mintage | ND (445 BC - 420 BC) |
| Additional information |
Phokis issued federal coinage only intermittently, typically in response to external pressure rather than routine commercial need. The sanctuary at Delphi sat within Phokian territory, making the region a recurring flashpoint — the First Sacred War had been fought over control of it in the early sixth century, and Phokian political identity remained inseparable from that claim throughout the classical period.
The hemidrachm denomination suited a small inland league with limited silver resources and no major port economy to demand heavier fractional coinage.