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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Federal Coinage of Phokis |
|---|---|
| Year | 445 BC - 420 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.86 g |
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| Obverse description | Facing head of a bull rendered in archaic Greek style, set within a shallow incuse oval field. The bovine head is presented frontally with prominent nostrils, wide-set eyes, and short curved horns visible at the upper periphery. The modelling is bold and schematic, characteristic of early Phokian federal coinage. The surrounding field is plain, with no legend or additional devices. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Ancient Greek |
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| Additional information |
The Federal Coinage of Phokis was produced by the Phokian League, a confederation of cities in central Greece that controlled Delphi — and with it, one of the ancient world's most lucrative religious sites. The league's ability to strike federal coinage depended heavily on that control, which made their mint a political target. During the Third Sacred War (356–346 BC), the Phokians seized Delphi outright and famously melted down sanctuary treasures to pay mercenaries, an act that ultimately brought Philip II of Macedon into Greek affairs and ended Phokian autonomy entirely.
This hemidrachm predates that catastrophe by several decades, struck when the league still operated under more conventional political arrangements.